--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are only two things that can…" description: "\"There are only two things that can destroy a healthy [hu]man: love trouble, ambition, and financial catastrophe. And that's already three things, and t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/386/peter-altenberg-45156_ambition_there-are-only-two-things-that-can-destr_319472.png" --- # There are only two things that can destroy a healthy… ![“There are only two things that can destroy a healthy [hu]man: love trouble, ambition, and financial catastrophe. And that's already three things, and there are a lot more.” quote by Peter Altenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/386/peter-altenberg-45156_ambition_there-are-only-two-things-that-can-destr_319472.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/386/peter-altenberg-45156_ambition_there-are-only-two-things-that-can-destr_319472.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/386/peter-altenberg-45156_ambition_there-are-only-two-things-that-can-destr_319472.png) > “There are only two things that can destroy a healthy \[hu\]man: love trouble, ambition, and financial catastrophe. And that's already three things, and there are a lot more.” [Peter Altenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-altenberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Love, ambition, and financial disaster are major threats to mental and physical health, with many other risks also present. **In simple terms:** Love, ambition, and money problems harm health. Key Takeaway Guard against these major life stressors. Themes health stress relationships ambition finance Mood concerned thoughtful serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - financial planning - relationship counseling - career management - stress reduction Key Concepts psychology risk assessment well‑being Questions to Reflect On - Which of these threats affect you most? - What strategies protect your well‑being? A Different Perspective Not all stressors are equal; personal resilience varies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) [Catastrophe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catastrophe/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) ## Related quotes > [“The concept of progress must be grounded in the idea of catastrophe. That things are "status quo" is the catastrophe. It is not an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/the-concept-of-progress-must-be-grounded-in-the-idea-of-catastrophe/) [Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/) > [The concept of progress must be grounded in the idea of catastrophe. That things are 'status quo' is the catastrophe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/the-concept-of-progress-must-be-grounded-in-the-idea-of-catastrophe-2/) [Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/) > [There are seven things that will destroy us, Wealth without work, Pleasure without conscience, Knowledge without character, Religion without sacrifice, Politics without principle, Science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coldheart/there-are-seven-things-that-will-destroy-us-wealth-without-work/) [Coldheart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coldheart/) > [“The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first and love of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-things-that-will-destroy-america-are-prosperity-at-any-price/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [We are all very imperfect and weak things, and if we are to destroy all whose ways we do not like, there will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/we-are-all-very-imperfect-and-weak-things-and-if-we-are-to-destroy/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“The things that you hope for the most are the things that destroy you in the end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-things-that-you-hope-for-the-most-are-the-things-that-destroy-you/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Have you ever realized the things we crave most,are things that destroy most !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheetal-chauhan/have-you-ever-realized-the-things-we-crave-most-are-things-that/) Sheetal Chauhan > [These things will destroy the human race: politics without principle, progress without compassion, wealth without work, learning without silence, religion without fearlessness and worship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-de-mello/these-things-will-destroy-the-human-race-politics-without-principle/) [Anthony de Mello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-de-mello/) > [IL DESIRE THE THINGS WHICH WILL DESTROY ME AT THE END...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vishemo/il-desire-the-things-which-will-destroy-me-at-the-end/) [VISHEMO](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vishemo/) > [“But sometimes, the things you wanted most were the things that would destroy you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-eden/but-sometimes-the-things-you-wanted-most-were-the-things-that-would/) [Cynthia Eden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-eden/) > [Nothing to build, and all things to destroy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/nothing-to-build-and-all-things-to-destroy/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [The things that we crave the most are the things that destroy us the quickest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-things-that-we-crave-the-most-are-the-things-that-destroy-us-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Respect all living things, and never take what you cannot give back, or destroy what you cannot create.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/respect-all-living-things-and-never-take-what-you-cannot-give-back-or/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“We love the things that destroy us, because in that destruction we truly feel alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pobi/we-love-the-things-that-destroy-us-because-in-that-destruction-we/) Robert Pobi > [There are seven things that will destroy us, Wealth without work, Pleasure without conscience, Knowledge without character, Religion without sacrifice, Politics without principle, Science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-seven-things-that-will-destroy-us-wealth-without-work-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Peter Altenberg > [Art is life, life is life, but to lead life artistically is the art of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-altenberg/art-is-life-life-is-life-but-to-lead-life-artistically-is-the-art-of/) [Peter Altenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-altenberg/) > [God thinks within geniuses, dreams within poets, and sleeps within the rest of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-altenberg/god-thinks-within-geniuses-dreams-within-poets-and-sleeps-within-the/) [Peter Altenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-altenberg/) > [“Art is art and life is life, but to live life artistically; that is the art of life”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-altenberg/art-is-art-and-life-is-life-but-to-live-life-artistically-that-is-the/) [Peter Altenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-altenberg/) > [“Nobody believes in anything without an inner feeling that it can be realized. This is the only source of dreamlike powers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-altenberg/nobody-believes-in-anything-without-an-inner-feeling-that-it-can-be/) [Peter Altenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-altenberg/) > [It is sad to be an exception. But not to be one is even sadder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-altenberg/it-is-sad-to-be-an-exception-but-not-to-be-one-is-even-sadder/) [Peter Altenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-altenberg/) > [God thinks in the geniusses, he dreams in the poets and slumbers in the rest of humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-altenberg/god-thinks-in-the-geniusses-he-dreams-in-the-poets-and-slumbers-in/) [Peter Altenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-altenberg/) > [I never dreamed of being Shakespeare or Goethe, and I never expected to hold the great mirror of truth up before the world; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-altenberg/i-never-dreamed-of-being-shakespeare-or-goethe-and-i-never-expected/) [Peter Altenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-altenberg/) > [For a man the whole world is his love. For a woman love is her whole world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-altenberg/for-a-man-the-whole-world-is-his-love-for-a-woman-love-is-her-whole/) [Peter Altenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-altenberg/) [Explore all 9 Peter Altenberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-altenberg/) ## More Ambition quotes > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [One needs more than ambition and talent to make a success of anything, really. There must be love and a vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/one-needs-more-than-ambition-and-talent-to-make-a-success-of-anything/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [A man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-s-worth-is-no-greater-than-the-worth-of-his-ambitions/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm hungry and ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julen-lopetegui/i-m-hungry-and-ambitious/) [Julen Lopetegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julen-lopetegui/) > [“I was ambitious and desperate to direct my first film, so I capitulated and blew it. Never again. Never fucking again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/i-was-ambitious-and-desperate-to-direct-my-first-film-so-i/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/) [Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/) > [Work towards your goal and dont watch the post size,its either they hate,or like you.there is no room for both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-buabeng/work-towards-your-goal-and-dont-watch-the-post-size-its-either-they/) [Isaac Buabeng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-buabeng/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I almost never have a plan for myself... I'm not ambitious in that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/i-almost-never-have-a-plan-for-myself-i-m-not-ambitious-in-that-way/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [I play for high stakes and given an audience - there is no act too daring or too noble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-play-for-high-stakes-and-given-an-audience-there-is-no-act-too/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [There's nothing worse than a leader who lacks ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-nothing-worse-than-a-leader-who-lacks-ambition/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If i can't even protect my captain's dream, then whatever ambition i have is nothing but talk..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoro/if-i-can-t-even-protect-my-captain-s-dream-then-whatever-ambition-i/) [Zoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoro/) > [It may seem unattainable but if you put actions, your heart and your mind into it, you will prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-mond/it-may-seem-unattainable-but-if-you-put-actions-your-heart-and-your/) [London Mond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-mond/) > [Obligation is what's leading us to toward successful, and what keeps us moving towards the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wazim-shaw/obligation-is-what-s-leading-us-to-toward-successful-and-what-keeps/) [Wazim Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wazim-shaw/) [Browse all 4,601 Ambition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are only two things that can destroy a healthy [hu]man: love trouble, ambition, and financial catastrophe. 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