--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I want to be happy; why do I do things…" description: "\"I want to be happy; why do I do things that make me unhappy?\" — Paul Schrader" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/paul-schrader-14587_happy_i-want-to-be-happy-why-do-i-do-things-th_572149.png" --- # I want to be happy; why do I do things that make me unhappy? ![“I want to be happy; why do I do things that make me unhappy?” quote by Paul Schrader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/paul-schrader-14587_happy_i-want-to-be-happy-why-do-i-do-things-th_572149.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/paul-schrader-14587_happy_i-want-to-be-happy-why-do-i-do-things-th_572149.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/paul-schrader-14587_happy_i-want-to-be-happy-why-do-i-do-things-th_572149.png) > “I want to be happy; why do I do things that make me unhappy?” [Paul Schrader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-schrader/) ## 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 questions why they pursue actions that lead to unhappiness despite wanting happiness. **In simple terms:** Question self‑sabotage. Key Takeaway Identify and change self‑defeating habits. Themes happiness self‑sabotage psychology Mood thoughtful concerned Type psychological motivational When to use this quote - relationship issues - career decisions - health habits - addiction Key Concepts behavioral patterns motivation Questions to Reflect On - What triggers your unhappy choices? - How can you align actions with happiness? A Different Perspective Changing habits can be difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy/) [Happy things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-things/) [I want to be happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-want-to-be-happy/) [Make Unhappy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-unhappy-394630/) [Unhappiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unhappiness/) [Unhappy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unhappy/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-happy-304306/) [Want to be happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-to-be-happy/) ## Related quotes > [Beingness, doingness and havingness are like a triangle where each side supports the others. They are not in conflict with each other. They all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakti-gawain/beingness-doingness-and-havingness-are-like-a-triangle-where-each/) [Shakti Gawain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakti-gawain/) > [I want to be happy and free, living and loving for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-rawls/i-want-to-be-happy-and-free-living-and-loving-for-me/) [Lou Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-rawls/) > [I love good and pleasure, I hate evil and pain, I want to be happy and I am not mistaken in believing, that people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-malebranche/i-love-good-and-pleasure-i-hate-evil-and-pain-i-want-to-be-happy-and/) [Nicolas Malebranche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-malebranche/) > [I just want to be happy. I want to be happy and be able to finish my career in the right way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-jacobs/i-just-want-to-be-happy-i-want-to-be-happy-and-be-able-to-finish-my/) [Brandon Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-jacobs/) > [People want to be happy, isn't that right? Haven't you heard it all your life? I want to be happy, people say. Well, aren't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/people-want-to-be-happy-isn-t-that-right-haven-t-you-heard-it-all/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I want to be happy because it is beneficial for me but also because I want to be a messenger of happiness to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-harris/i-want-to-be-happy-because-it-is-beneficial-for-me-but-also-because-i/) [Susan Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-harris/) > [I don't care what you do to me, but I don't want you to hurt me. I've had enough hurt already in my life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-don-t-care-what-you-do-to-me-but-i-don-t-want-you-to-hurt-me-i-ve/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I don't know. I think you're born with that. I've always been somebody that enjoys life. I want to be happy in it, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-alexander/i-don-t-know-i-think-you-re-born-with-that-i-ve-always-been-somebody/) [Sasha Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-alexander/) > [I want to be happy while I make movies and not just do things just to work. I want to do things I spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-fukunaga/i-want-to-be-happy-while-i-make-movies-and-not-just-do-things-just-to/) [Cary Fukunaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-fukunaga/) > [I want to be happy. i want to make people happy. i do not need to be rich to do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-palmer/i-want-to-be-happy-i-want-to-make-people-happy-i-do-not-need-to-be/) [Amanda Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-palmer/) > [I love making music and performing for my fans, and I want to be happy and doing what I love still. I'm not taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-grande/i-love-making-music-and-performing-for-my-fans-and-i-want-to-be-happy/) [Ariana Grande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-grande/) > [I want to be happy and stable. My life is clearly going to slow down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-richie/i-want-to-be-happy-and-stable-my-life-is-clearly-going-to-slow-down/) [Nicole Richie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-richie/) > [Live and let live. I want to be happy and be loved...that's all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-kaif/live-and-let-live-i-want-to-be-happy-and-be-loved-that-s-all/) [Katrina Kaif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-kaif/) > [God, I'm a girl with a cursed fate. I've fallen in love with a boy and I want to be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arina-tanemura/god-i-m-a-girl-with-a-cursed-fate-i-ve-fallen-in-love-with-a-boy-and/) [Arina Tanemura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arina-tanemura/) > [People want to be happy, and all the other things they want are typically meant to be a means to that end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-gilbert/people-want-to-be-happy-and-all-the-other-things-they-want-are/) [Daniel Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-gilbert/) ## More by Paul Schrader > [“Twelve hours of work and I still can't sleep.Days go on and on... They don't end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-schrader/twelve-hours-of-work-and-i-still-can-t-sleep-days-go-on-and-on-they/) [Paul Schrader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-schrader/) > [The secret of the creative life is to feel at ease with your own embarrassment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-schrader/the-secret-of-the-creative-life-is-to-feel-at-ease-with-your-own/) [Paul Schrader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-schrader/) > [People who act against their own best interests are interesting characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-schrader/people-who-act-against-their-own-best-interests-are-interesting/) [Paul Schrader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-schrader/) > [ All these teachers and \[screenwriting\] books mean you see movies that have been worked over by more committees wielding more rules, that all originality… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-schrader/all-these-teachers-and-screenwriting-books-mean-you-see-movies-that/) [Paul Schrader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-schrader/) > [Because many of the films I've made have had an intellectualedge, it's harder for me to lie. 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Part of the fun of it is that the contradiction never really quite goes away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-schrader/you-can-t-take-contradiction-away-part-of-the-fun-of-it-is-that-the/) [Paul Schrader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-schrader/) > [I still think like a critic, and I still analyze films like a critic. However, it's not possible to write criticism if you're making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-schrader/i-still-think-like-a-critic-and-i-still-analyze-films-like-a-critic/) [Paul Schrader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-schrader/) > [All the animals come out at night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-schrader/all-the-animals-come-out-at-night/) [Paul Schrader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-schrader/) > [There's something wrong - the performance, the weather, the set design, the lighting. Something is not working. And so you say, "Give me 10…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-schrader/there-s-something-wrong-the-performance-the-weather-the-set-design/) [Paul Schrader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-schrader/) > [I had this whole issue of doing a crime film in the 2010s. The genre's been mined very, very heavily. Post-Scorsese, post-Tarantino, post-Guy Ritchie,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-schrader/i-had-this-whole-issue-of-doing-a-crime-film-in-the-2010s-the-genre-s/) [Paul Schrader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-schrader/) > [One of the things that I do like about filmmaking is that you find out how to solve new problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-schrader/one-of-the-things-that-i-do-like-about-filmmaking-is-that-you-find/) [Paul Schrader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-schrader/) > [I could be just a writer very easily. I am not a writer. I am a screenwriter, which is half a filmmaker... But it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-schrader/i-could-be-just-a-writer-very-easily-i-am-not-a-writer-i-am-a/) [Paul Schrader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-schrader/) > [Ultimately, it's an illusion that you can understand yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-schrader/ultimately-it-s-an-illusion-that-you-can-understand-yourself/) [Paul Schrader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-schrader/) [Explore all 46 Paul Schrader quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-schrader/) ## More Happy quotes > [I love going to Columbia, Missouri. That is a really underrated campus. It shocked me when I went there because I really didn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-herbstreit/i-love-going-to-columbia-missouri-that-is-a-really-underrated-campus/) [Kirk Herbstreit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-herbstreit/) > [The happy have whole days,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colley-cibber/the-happy-have-whole-days/) [Colley Cibber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colley-cibber/) > [Dating someone on the opposite end of the happy spectrum teaches you an incredible amount of patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/dating-someone-on-the-opposite-end-of-the-happy-spectrum-teaches-you/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) [Pancho Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pancho-barnes/) > [Yes, I am happy that my work is recognised, and it is wonderful to be acknowledged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parvathy/yes-i-am-happy-that-my-work-is-recognised-and-it-is-wonderful-to-be/) [Parvathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parvathy/) > [I want to make my music and be a happy woman, a good wife, a good mom and one day hopefully have a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leann-rimes/i-want-to-make-my-music-and-be-a-happy-woman-a-good-wife-a-good-mom/) [LeAnn Rimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leann-rimes/) > [Im really happy that I met you I hope you know that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/im-nothing/im-really-happy-that-i-met-you-i-hope-you-know-that/) [Im Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/im-nothing/) > [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. I'm never playing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-want-to-make-myself-and-the-crowd-happy-by-way-of-something/) [Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/) > [“So if we’re both so happy, why are we sad?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-raeder/so-if-we-re-both-so-happy-why-are-we-sad/) [Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/) > [I know George Burns was a very happy man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/i-know-george-burns-was-a-very-happy-man/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [I'm happy. I'm always with a smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gael-monfils/i-m-happy-i-m-always-with-a-smile/) [Gael Monfils](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gael-monfils/) > [“Second Splendid Truth One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy. One of the best ways to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/second-splendid-truth-one-of-the-best-ways-to-make-yourself-happy-is/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [It's something he used to say when he was happy. It could be a very, very simple day. We might be sitting out on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-grant/it-s-something-he-used-to-say-when-he-was-happy-it-could-be-a-very/) [Jennifer Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-grant/) > [Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happiness-is-an-attitude-we-either-make-ourselves-miserable-or-happy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm happy to be considered desirable. I love it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sarandon/i-m-happy-to-be-considered-desirable-i-love-it/) [Susan Sarandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sarandon/) [Browse all 12,897 Happy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I want to be happy; why do I do things that make me unhappy?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Schrader" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-schrader/i-want-to-be-happy-why-do-i-do-things-that-make-me-unhappy/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Happy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-schrader/i-want-to-be-happy-why-do-i-do-things-that-make-me-unhappy/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/paul-schrader-14587_happy_i-want-to-be-happy-why-do-i-do-things-th_572149.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/paul-schrader-14587_happy_i-want-to-be-happy-why-do-i-do-things-th_572149.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/paul-schrader-14587_happy_i-want-to-be-happy-why-do-i-do-things-th_572149.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I want to be happy; why do I do things that make me unhappy?” — Paul Schrader", "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": "Paul Schrader", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-schrader/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I want to be happy; why...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-schrader/i-want-to-be-happy-why-do-i-do-things-that-make-me-unhappy/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-schrader/i-want-to-be-happy-why-do-i-do-things-that-make-me-unhappy/#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 } } ] } ```