--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For a moment I felt joyful, and then I…" description: "\"“For a moment I felt joyful, and then I felt completely exhausted.”\" — Ottessa Moshfegh" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/916/ottessa-moshfegh-8200_exhausted_for-a-moment-i-felt-joyful-and-then-i-fe_990242.jpg" --- # For a moment I felt joyful, and then I felt completely… ![“For a moment I felt joyful, and then I felt completely exhausted.” quote by Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/916/ottessa-moshfegh-8200_exhausted_for-a-moment-i-felt-joyful-and-then-i-fe_990242.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/916/ottessa-moshfegh-8200_exhausted_for-a-moment-i-felt-joyful-and-then-i-fe_990242.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/916/ottessa-moshfegh-8200_exhausted_for-a-moment-i-felt-joyful-and-then-i-fe_990242.jpg) > ““For a moment I felt joyful, and then I felt completely exhausted.”” [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker experiences a fleeting moment of joy that quickly turns into overwhelming fatigue, highlighting the fragile nature of emotional highs. **In simple terms:** Joy can be brief and leave you exhausted. Key Takeaway Recognize and rest after intense emotions. Themes joy exhaustion fragility Mood reflective introspective Type psychological emotional When to use this quote - celebrations - creative bursts - intense conversations - afterglow periods Key Concepts emotional volatility mental stamina Questions to Reflect On - How do you recover after emotional highs? - What patterns cause joy to become draining? A Different Perspective Joy may be unsustainable without self‑care. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Joyful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joyful/) [Mood swings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mood-swings/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“I did crave attention, but I refused to humiliate myself by asking for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/i-did-crave-attention-but-i-refused-to-humiliate-myself-by-asking-for/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“She couldn't or simply wouldn't understand why I wanted to sleep all the time, and she was always rubbing my nose in her moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/she-couldn-t-or-simply-wouldn-t-understand-why-i-wanted-to-sleep-all/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“They were all so jovial and relaxed with one another, fraternal even. Maybe I was envious of that. They had lives—that was evident.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/they-were-all-so-jovial-and-relaxed-with-one-another-fraternal-even/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“Talking to Reva about misery was insufferable. 'Look on the bright side,' was what she wanted everyone to do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/talking-to-reva-about-misery-was-insufferable-look-on-the-bright-side/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“I wanted to hold onto the house the way you'd hold onto a love letter. It was proof that I had not always been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/i-wanted-to-hold-onto-the-house-the-way-you-d-hold-onto-a-love-letter/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“I tell him I wish I could stay with him, but not here, not on Earth. Earth is the wrong place for me, always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/i-tell-him-i-wish-i-could-stay-with-him-but-not-here-not-on-earth/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“I deplored silence. I deplored stillness. I hated almost everything. I was very unhappy and angry all the time. I tried to control myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/i-deplored-silence-i-deplored-stillness-i-hated-almost-everything-i/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [One of the best feelings I had growing up was being completely exhausted at the end of the day after playing outside all day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-pharr-davis/one-of-the-best-feelings-i-had-growing-up-was-being-completely/) [Jennifer Pharr Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-pharr-davis/) > [Our sports are totally different, if Lance Armstrong himself were to come and train with us he'd be completely exhausted after half and hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joachim-low/our-sports-are-totally-different-if-lance-armstrong-himself-were-to/) [Joachim Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joachim-low/) > [When the whistle blows, I’m completely exhausted, physically and mentally. I get in the locker room and I sit down and I just exhale.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-howard/when-the-whistle-blows-i-m-completely-exhausted-physically-and/) [Tim Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-howard/) > [“Moha (illusory attachment) will indeed keep on stinging you until you are completely exhausted!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/moha-illusory-attachment-will-indeed-keep-on-stinging-you-until-you/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [You know how fussy and particular I am in painting. I am ever removing the paint and repainting the spot until I am completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arshile-gorky/you-know-how-fussy-and-particular-i-am-in-painting-i-am-ever-removing/) [Arshile Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshile-gorky/) > [I like to be completely exhausted when I go to bed, so if I worked out and I had a long day, that's enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-hosk/i-like-to-be-completely-exhausted-when-i-go-to-bed-so-if-i-worked-out/) [Elsa Hosk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-hosk/) > [“Cliff, I'm completely exhausted by your blackness and I mean that in the nicest way possible. Nobody cares!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-pedersen/cliff-i-m-completely-exhausted-by-your-blackness-and-i-mean-that-in/) [Laura Pedersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-pedersen/) > [Don't Say No' was the first album I'd done that I felt completely comfortable with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-squier/don-t-say-no-was-the-first-album-i-d-done-that-i-felt-completely/) [Billy Squier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-squier/) ## More by Ottessa Moshfegh > [Sometimes I think I'm a nihilist because it doesn't matter, none of this matters. We're all following the will of some unknowable higher power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/sometimes-i-think-i-m-a-nihilist-because-it-doesn-t-matter-none-of/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [If you look at the horror genre, that work is all about making people uncomfortable by stimulating our fear of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/if-you-look-at-the-horror-genre-that-work-is-all-about-making-people/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“...the face I wore at work, my death mask.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/the-face-i-wore-at-work-my-death-mask/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [I've always really enjoyed sharing my work with others. I find it really hard if I don't think the work will exist outside of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/i-ve-always-really-enjoyed-sharing-my-work-with-others-i-find-it/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [Indifference is the saddest state of being. It's like PTSD - you're not gonna fight, you're not gonna run, you're just frozen there, feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/indifference-is-the-saddest-state-of-being-it-s-like-ptsd-you-re-not/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“Talking to Reva about misery was insufferable. 'Look on the bright side,' was what she wanted everyone to do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/talking-to-reva-about-misery-was-insufferable-look-on-the-bright-side/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [ What's inspiring me the most \[is\] injustice. My own growth as a member of the human race, in terms of the veils being lifted,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/what-s-inspiring-me-the-most-is-injustice-my-own-growth-as-a-member/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“Knowledge of anything current or faddish made me feel I was just a victim of isolation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/knowledge-of-anything-current-or-faddish-made-me-feel-i-was-just-a/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“I wanted to hold onto the house the way you'd hold onto a love letter. It was proof that I had not always been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/i-wanted-to-hold-onto-the-house-the-way-you-d-hold-onto-a-love-letter/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“Like a favorite song you’ve heard so many times it begins to annoy you,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/like-a-favorite-song-you-ve-heard-so-many-times-it-begins-to-annoy-you/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“I watched that old world go by, away and away, gone gone gone, until, like me, it disappeared.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/i-watched-that-old-world-go-by-away-and-away-gone-gone-gone-until/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“I was nervous. It had been a long time since I’d gone any place I wanted to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/i-was-nervous-it-had-been-a-long-time-since-i-d-gone-any-place-i/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“But maybe I’d need something to read on my ride to my future, I thought. I could borrow a few of the finer books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/but-maybe-i-d-need-something-to-read-on-my-ride-to-my-future-i/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“The stars come out. I look for the moon, but it eludes me. I can't find or measure my way. Drift, drift. If I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/the-stars-come-out-i-look-for-the-moon-but-it-eludes-me-i-can-t-find/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“Right," I said, but it didn't feel very right. I didn't want to make it. I wanted to lie down with it and strangle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/right-i-said-but-it-didn-t-feel-very-right-i-didn-t-want-to-make-it-i/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) [Explore all 82 Ottessa Moshfegh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) ## More Exhausted quotes > [During the last 17 years... I have been working at the restoration of a once exhausted hillside. Its scars are now healed over, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/during-the-last-17-years-i-have-been-working-at-the-restoration-of-a/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Rage is exciting, but leaves me confused and exhausted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/rage-is-exciting-but-leaves-me-confused-and-exhausted/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [If you don't have to drag yourself off the field exhausted after 90 minutes, you can't claim to have done your best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nichols/if-you-don-t-have-to-drag-yourself-off-the-field-exhausted-after-90/) [Bill Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nichols/) > [I remember Terry being exhausted from his latest Super Bowl win and all the things that go with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fouts/i-remember-terry-being-exhausted-from-his-latest-super-bowl-win-and/) [Dan Fouts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fouts/) > [I'm always exhausted after a show, even if it's just half an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-lo/i-m-always-exhausted-after-a-show-even-if-it-s-just-half-an-hour/) [Tove Lo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-lo/) > [What we are only now beginning to fully realize is that in seeking material pleasure too constantly, the capacity for enjoyment or fulfillment decreases…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-campbell/what-we-are-only-now-beginning-to-fully-realize-is-that-in-seeking/) [Alex Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-campbell/) > [I have seen war. I have seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/i-have-seen-war-i-have-seen-war-on-land-and-sea-i-have-seen-blood/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [ Jowett, in his day, did probably more than any other single man to let some fresh air into the exhausted atmosphere of the \[Oxford\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-jowett/jowett-in-his-day-did-probably-more-than-any-other-single-man-to-let/) [Benjamin Jowett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-jowett/) > [In the last few years, the very idea of telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is dredged up only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-musto/in-the-last-few-years-the-very-idea-of-telling-the-truth-the-whole/) [Michael Musto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-musto/) > [When I walk off the field exhausted, drenched in sweat, knowing I pushed myself to the physical, mental, and emotional limits, there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-lohman/when-i-walk-off-the-field-exhausted-drenched-in-sweat-knowing-i/) [Joanna Lohman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-lohman/) > [There is a thing inherent and natural which existed before heaven and earth. Motionless and fathomless, It stands alone and never changes; It pervades…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/there-is-a-thing-inherent-and-natural-which-existed-before-heaven-and/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [I like to sleep so much that I wake up exhausted from sleeping so hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-richie/i-like-to-sleep-so-much-that-i-wake-up-exhausted-from-sleeping-so-hard/) [Nicole Richie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-richie/) > [...the framers of our Constitution never exhausted so much labor, wisdom and forbearance in its formation if it was intended to be broken up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-lee/the-framers-of-our-constitution-never-exhausted-so-much-labor-wisdom/) [Robert E. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-lee/) > [I want to explain how exhausted I am. Even in my dreams. How I wake up tired. 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