--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But once you cross the Shannon - even…" description: "\"“But once you cross the Shannon - even though geographically you have only come a short distance - different rules of time apply, and most people still..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6c/pete-mccarthy-39860_happiness_but-once-you-cross-the-shannon-even-thou_1426582.jpg" --- # But once you cross the Shannon - even though… ![“But once you cross the Shannon - even though geographically you have only come a short distance - different rules of time apply, and most people still understand the crucial secret of human happiness: that it's better to do a few things slowly, than a lot of things fast.” quote by Pete McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6c/pete-mccarthy-39860_happiness_but-once-you-cross-the-shannon-even-thou_1426582.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6c/pete-mccarthy-39860_happiness_but-once-you-cross-the-shannon-even-thou_1426582.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6c/pete-mccarthy-39860_happiness_but-once-you-cross-the-shannon-even-thou_1426582.jpg) > ““But once you cross the Shannon - even though geographically you have only come a short distance - different rules of time apply, and most people still understand the crucial secret of human happiness: that it's better to do a few things slowly, than a lot of things fast.”” [Pete McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-mccarthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Slowly doing a few things yields more happiness than rushing many tasks. **In simple terms:** Slow, focused work brings joy. Key Takeaway Prioritize depth over speed. Themes happiness time productivity slow living Mood reflective calm Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - project planning - skill mastery - creative endeavors - personal routines Key Concepts mindfulness time management quality vs quantity Questions to Reflect On - Which tasks benefit from a slower approach? - How can you balance speed and depth? A Different Perspective Speed can be necessary in emergencies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cross Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cross-shannon-5066469/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happiness Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-better-670041/) [Human happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-happiness/) [Ireland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ireland/) [Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shannon/) [Things Slowly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-slowly-1079147/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I like to cook things very slowly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/i-like-to-cook-things-very-slowly/) [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) > [Never be discouraged because good things get on so slowly here; and never fail daily to do that good which lies next to your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/never-be-discouraged-because-good-things-get-on-so-slowly-here-and/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [We are impatient, anxious to see the whole picture, but God lets us see things slowly, quietly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/we-are-impatient-anxious-to-see-the-whole-picture-but-god-lets-us-see-2/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [What worries me is that conservative thought is moving quickly, but we're kind of the pachyderms in Congress because things move so slowly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kingston/what-worries-me-is-that-conservative-thought-is-moving-quickly-but-we/) [Jack Kingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kingston/) > [Everywhere, people are discovering that doing things more slowly often means doing them better and enjoying them more. It means living life instead of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/everywhere-people-are-discovering-that-doing-things-more-slowly-often/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [Everyone has a different life story. Things happen rapidly for someone, and things move slowly for others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barun-sobti/everyone-has-a-different-life-story-things-happen-rapidly-for-someone/) [Barun Sobti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barun-sobti/) > [I'm just getting used to all the interviews and promo things, I'm slowly learning. It's very strange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-parks/i-m-just-getting-used-to-all-the-interviews-and-promo-things-i-m/) [Alex Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-parks/) > [“I’ve been trying to take things slowly because I didn’t want to scare you with the intensity of how I feel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-reus/i-ve-been-trying-to-take-things-slowly-because-i-didn-t-want-to-scare/) [Katie Reus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-reus/) > [Things move very slowly in politics. We seem to fight the same wars over and over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-du-pont/things-move-very-slowly-in-politics-we-seem-to-fight-the-same-wars/) [Pete du Pont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-du-pont/) > [ “We are impatient, anxious to see the whole picture, but God lets us see things slowly, quietly. The Church \[has\] to learn how to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-christopher-smith/we-are-impatient-anxious-to-see-the-whole-picture-but-god-lets-us-see/) [C. Christopher Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-christopher-smith/) > [Take things slowly. No need to worry about it. Plenty of people moved things and couldn't remember they'd done it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-howarth/take-things-slowly-no-need-to-worry-about-it-plenty-of-people-moved/) [Lesley Howarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-howarth/) > [I really like to take the time to build things slowly and surely - to get more grounded. But it never felt for certain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haider-ackermann/i-really-like-to-take-the-time-to-build-things-slowly-and-surely-to/) [Haider Ackermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haider-ackermann/) > [It was probably a mistake to pursue happiness; much better to create happiness; still better to create happiness for others. The more happiness you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-c-douglas/it-was-probably-a-mistake-to-pursue-happiness-much-better-to-create/) [Lloyd C. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-c-douglas/) > [“I do not write this in a spirit of sourness or personal disappointment of any kind, nor do I have any romantic attachment to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/i-do-not-write-this-in-a-spirit-of-sourness-or-personal/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [“That the choice for mankind lay between freedom and happiness and for the bulk of mankind happiness was better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/that-the-choice-for-mankind-lay-between-freedom-and-happiness-and-for/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) ## More by Pete McCarthy > [“It's always stimulating to visit new places, acquire fresh knowledge and expand your portfolio of nightmares.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-mccarthy/it-s-always-stimulating-to-visit-new-places-acquire-fresh-knowledge/) [Pete McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-mccarthy/) > [I reckon if I can't spend the day sleeping, the next best thing is to spend it reading and drinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-mccarthy/i-reckon-if-i-can-t-spend-the-day-sleeping-the-next-best-thing-is-to/) [Pete McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-mccarthy/) > [“Just remember, it's an easy place to be at home in, Ireland. I think the people are very skilled at relating. I notice, watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-mccarthy/just-remember-it-s-an-easy-place-to-be-at-home-in-ireland-i-think-the/) [Pete McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-mccarthy/) > [If you've had the right kind of education, it's amazing how many things you can find to feel guilty about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-mccarthy/if-you-ve-had-the-right-kind-of-education-it-s-amazing-how-many/) [Pete McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-mccarthy/) > [“The harp player had just fallen off the stage and cracked his head on an Italian tourist’s pint. There was a big cheer, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-mccarthy/the-harp-player-had-just-fallen-off-the-stage-and-cracked-his-head-on/) [Pete McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-mccarthy/) > [“That guy in the corner. Never tells the truth, as a matter of principle. Why answer a question, he says, if you can tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-mccarthy/that-guy-in-the-corner-never-tells-the-truth-as-a-matter-of-principle/) [Pete McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-mccarthy/) > [I like reading in a pub rather than a library or study, as it's generally much easier to get a drink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-mccarthy/i-like-reading-in-a-pub-rather-than-a-library-or-study-as-it-s/) [Pete McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-mccarthy/) > [“We had found nothing, and had been lost several times already in one morning, so this was shaping up into a top travel experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-mccarthy/we-had-found-nothing-and-had-been-lost-several-times-already-in-one/) [Pete McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-mccarthy/) > [There are huge creative advantages in having huge chunks of time when no one can find you. Emails and phones have diluted the experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-mccarthy/there-are-huge-creative-advantages-in-having-huge-chunks-of-time-when/) [Pete McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-mccarthy/) > [“The harp player had just fallen off the stage and cracked his head on an Italian tourist’s pint. There was a big cheer, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-mccarthy/the-harp-player-had-just-fallen-off-the-stage-and-cracked-his-head-on-2/) [Pete McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-mccarthy/) [Explore all 11 Pete McCarthy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-mccarthy/) ## More Happiness quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/) [MARVIN J. ASHTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [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/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [I've got nothing to do today but smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-got-nothing-to-do-today-but-smile/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Positive thinking evokes more energy, more initiative, more happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/positive-thinking-evokes-more-energy-more-initiative-more-happiness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) [Browse all 40,288 Happiness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But once you cross the Shannon - even though geographically you have only come a short distance - different rules of time apply, and most people still understand the crucial secret of human happiness: that it's better to do a few things slowly, than a lot of things fast.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pete McCarthy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-mccarthy/but-once-you-cross-the-shannon-even-though-geographically-you-have/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Happiness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-mccarthy/but-once-you-cross-the-shannon-even-though-geographically-you-have/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6c/pete-mccarthy-39860_happiness_but-once-you-cross-the-shannon-even-thou_1426582.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6c/pete-mccarthy-39860_happiness_but-once-you-cross-the-shannon-even-thou_1426582.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6c/pete-mccarthy-39860_happiness_but-once-you-cross-the-shannon-even-thou_1426582.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But once you cross the Shannon - even though geographically you have only come a short distance - different…” — Pete McCarthy", "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": "Pete McCarthy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-mccarthy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“But once you cross the Shannon...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-mccarthy/but-once-you-cross-the-shannon-even-though-geographically-you-have/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-mccarthy/but-once-you-cross-the-shannon-even-though-geographically-you-have/#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 } } ] } ```