--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was a lifetime occupation that kept us…" description: "\"It was a lifetime occupation that kept us too busy to stop and ask if we were happy or not\" — Ossie Davis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/ossie-davis-35994_asks_it-was-a-lifetime-occupation-that-kept-u_1921638.jpg" --- # It was a lifetime occupation that kept us too busy to stop… ![“It was a lifetime occupation that kept us too busy to stop and ask if we were happy or not” quote by Ossie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/ossie-davis-35994_asks_it-was-a-lifetime-occupation-that-kept-u_1921638.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/ossie-davis-35994_asks_it-was-a-lifetime-occupation-that-kept-u_1921638.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/ossie-davis-35994_asks_it-was-a-lifetime-occupation-that-kept-u_1921638.jpg) > “It was a lifetime occupation that kept us too busy to stop and ask if we were happy or not” [Ossie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ossie-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights how relentless work can obscure personal happiness, urging a pause for self‑inquiry. **In simple terms:** Busy work can hide true happiness. Key Takeaway Check your happiness amidst busyness. Themes work self‑reflection well‑being purpose Mood contemplative serious motivational Type reflective philosophical When to use this quote - career evaluation - life balance - personal health Key Concepts time management mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - Are you happy with your current path? - What small change could improve your joy? A Different Perspective Success may be defined differently for each person. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ask Happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ask-happy-2132270/) [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Busy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/busy/) [Busy Stop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/busy-stop-2954739/) [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Kept Busy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kept-busy-277213/) [Lifetime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifetime/) [Lifetime Occupation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifetime-occupation-2954738/) [Occupation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occupation/) [Occupation Kept](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occupation-kept-2954737/) [Too busy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-busy/) ## Related quotes > [When you achieve one dream, dream another. Getting what you want is only a problem if you have nowhere to go next. Dreaming is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-ruettiger/when-you-achieve-one-dream-dream-another-getting-what-you-want-is/) [Rudy Ruettiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-ruettiger/) > [Dreaming is a lifetime occupation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-ruettiger/dreaming-is-a-lifetime-occupation/) [Rudy Ruettiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-ruettiger/) > [Ask yourself whether you are happy', observed the philosopher John Stuart Mill, 'and you cease to be so.' At best, it would appear, happiness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-burkeman/ask-yourself-whether-you-are-happy-observed-the-philosopher-john/) [Oliver Burkeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-burkeman/) > [“When you are happy, you do not ask yourself- why am I happy or why does happiness come to my life? Similarly, when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/md-ziaul-haque/when-you-are-happy-you-do-not-ask-yourself-why-am-i-happy-or-why-does/) [Md. Ziaul Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/md-ziaul-haque/) > [Ask yourself whether you are happy, and you cease to be so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/ask-yourself-whether-you-are-happy-and-you-cease-to-be-so/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [So I have people who tweet and ask me, 'You can't be this happy all the time. You can't be this cheerful.' Well, yes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamron-hall/so-i-have-people-who-tweet-and-ask-me-you-can-t-be-this-happy-all-the/) [Tamron Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamron-hall/) > [Should you ask me if I'm happy, I'll answer that I'm not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/should-you-ask-me-if-i-m-happy-i-ll-answer-that-i-m-not/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [Humanity does not ask to be happy.It merely asks us to be brilliant on its behalf. Survival first, and then happiness as we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/humanity-does-not-ask-to-be-happy-it-merely-asks-us-to-be-brilliant/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [When people ask me, 'Are you happy?' I respond with, 'You've asked the wrong question.' There is a deep kind of satisfaction you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ulevitch/when-people-ask-me-are-you-happy-i-respond-with-you-ve-asked-the/) [David Ulevitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ulevitch/) > [Figure out what questions you'd ask to see if you were happy with your life. Then wake up every day and live intentionally, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendon-burchard/figure-out-what-questions-you-d-ask-to-see-if-you-were-happy-with/) [Brendon Burchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendon-burchard/) > [“People fucking love their own opinions and are all too happy to throw ’em at you, whether you ask or not. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-scott/people-fucking-love-their-own-opinions-and-are-all-too-happy-to-throw/) [Kylie Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-scott/) > [Ask yourself whether you are happy and you cease to be so. The only chance is to treat not happiness, but some end external…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/ask-yourself-whether-you-are-happy-and-you-cease-to-be-so-the-only/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [I kept myself busy by taking up offers as a judge in reality shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anu-malik/i-kept-myself-busy-by-taking-up-offers-as-a-judge-in-reality-shows/) [Anu Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anu-malik/) > [My mother was kept very busy with her sewing; sometimes she would have another woman helping her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-weldon-johnson/my-mother-was-kept-very-busy-with-her-sewing-sometimes-she-would-have/) [James Weldon Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-weldon-johnson/) > [I was a slow starter. I didn't really make any dazzling impressions. But I don't really regret that because I learned a lot along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lloyd/i-was-a-slow-starter-i-didn-t-really-make-any-dazzling-impressions/) [Christopher Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lloyd/) ## More by Ossie Davis > [Here - at this final hour, Harlem has come to bid farewell to one of its brightest hopes - extinguished now, and gone from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ossie-davis/here-at-this-final-hour-harlem-has-come-to-bid-farewell-to-one-of-its/) [Ossie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ossie-davis/) > [Struggle is strengthening. Battling with evil gives us the power to battle evil even more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ossie-davis/struggle-is-strengthening-battling-with-evil-gives-us-the-power-to/) [Ossie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ossie-davis/) > [I find, in being black, a thing of beauty: a joy; a strength; a secret cup of gladness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ossie-davis/i-find-in-being-black-a-thing-of-beauty-a-joy-a-strength-a-secret-cup/) [Ossie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ossie-davis/) > [There is no secret to a long marriage - it's hard work...It's serious business, and certainly not for cowards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ossie-davis/there-is-no-secret-to-a-long-marriage-it-s-hard-work-it-s-serious/) [Ossie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ossie-davis/) > [“... Harlem was home; was where we belonged; where we knew and were known in return; where we felt most alive; where, if need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ossie-davis/harlem-was-home-was-where-we-belonged-where-we-knew-and-were-known-in/) [Ossie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ossie-davis/) > [One of the things I appreciate more was how important struggle was as the instrument that helped to keep us knit together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ossie-davis/one-of-the-things-i-appreciate-more-was-how-important-struggle-was-as/) [Ossie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ossie-davis/) > [College ain't so much where you been as how you talk when you get back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ossie-davis/college-ain-t-so-much-where-you-been-as-how-you-talk-when-you-get-back/) [Ossie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ossie-davis/) > [If we can reach in wih the art and touch the imagination of the child, no matter who, we have affected that child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ossie-davis/if-we-can-reach-in-wih-the-art-and-touch-the-imagination-of-the-child/) [Ossie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ossie-davis/) > [Any form of art is a form of power; it has impact, it can affect change. It can not only move us, it makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ossie-davis/any-form-of-art-is-a-form-of-power-it-has-impact-it-can-affect-change/) [Ossie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ossie-davis/) > [Any form of art is a form of power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ossie-davis/any-form-of-art-is-a-form-of-power/) [Ossie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ossie-davis/) > [It is necessary to stay on the march, to be on the journey, to work for peace wherever we are at all times, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ossie-davis/it-is-necessary-to-stay-on-the-march-to-be-on-the-journey-to-work-for/) [Ossie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ossie-davis/) > [We can't float through life. We can't be incidental or accidental. We must fix our gaze on a guiding star as soon as one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ossie-davis/we-can-t-float-through-life-we-can-t-be-incidental-or-accidental-we/) [Ossie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ossie-davis/) [Explore all 13 Ossie Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ossie-davis/) ## More Asks quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I don't know how to say it exactly. Only...I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?' he asks. I shake my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-don-t-know-how-to-say-it-exactly-only-i-want-to-die-as-myself-does/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) [Browse all 7,138 Asks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It was a lifetime occupation that kept us too busy to stop and ask if we were happy or not", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ossie Davis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ossie-davis/it-was-a-lifetime-occupation-that-kept-us-too-busy-to-stop-and-ask-if/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Asks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ossie-davis/it-was-a-lifetime-occupation-that-kept-us-too-busy-to-stop-and-ask-if/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/ossie-davis-35994_asks_it-was-a-lifetime-occupation-that-kept-u_1921638.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/ossie-davis-35994_asks_it-was-a-lifetime-occupation-that-kept-u_1921638.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/ossie-davis-35994_asks_it-was-a-lifetime-occupation-that-kept-u_1921638.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It was a lifetime occupation that kept us too busy to stop and ask if we were happy or not” — Ossie Davis", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ossie Davis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ossie-davis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It was a lifetime occupation that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ossie-davis/it-was-a-lifetime-occupation-that-kept-us-too-busy-to-stop-and-ask-if/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ossie-davis/it-was-a-lifetime-occupation-that-kept-us-too-busy-to-stop-and-ask-if/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```