--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing makes me feel better - calmer…" description: "\"Nothing makes me feel better - calmer, clearer and happier - than being in one place, absorbed in a book, a conversation, a piece of music. It's actual..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/199/pico-iyer-1252_book_nothing-makes-me-feel-better-calmer-clea_2643110.png" --- # Nothing makes me feel better - calmer, clearer and happier… ![“Nothing makes me feel better - calmer, clearer and happier - than being in one place, absorbed in a book, a conversation, a piece of music. It's actually something deeper than mere happiness: it's joy, which the monk David Steindl-Rast describes as 'that kind of happiness that doesn't depend on…” quote by Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/199/pico-iyer-1252_book_nothing-makes-me-feel-better-calmer-clea_2643110.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/199/pico-iyer-1252_book_nothing-makes-me-feel-better-calmer-clea_2643110.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/199/pico-iyer-1252_book_nothing-makes-me-feel-better-calmer-clea_2643110.png) > “Nothing makes me feel better - calmer, clearer and happier - than being in one place, absorbed in a book, a conversation, a piece of music. It's actually something deeper than mere happiness: it's joy, which the monk David Steindl-Rast describes as 'that kind of happiness that doesn't depend on what happens.” [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Finding deep joy through immersive, present experiences like reading, conversation, or music, beyond fleeting happiness. **In simple terms:** Joy comes from being fully present in an activity. Key Takeaway Seek moments of deep focus. Themes mindfulness joy presence Mood calm reflective content Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - reading - listening to music - meaningful conversation - meditation - creative work Key Concepts psychology philosophy well‑being Questions to Reflect On - What activity makes you lose sense of time? - How can you create space for such focus daily? A Different Perspective Joy can be fleeting if not cultivated regularly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Calmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calmer/) [Clearer Happier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clearer-happier-2286603/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Deeper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeper/) [Depends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depends/) [Feel better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-better/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Happier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happier/) [Happier Place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happier-place-1257868/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happiness Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-joy/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Make me feel better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-me-feel-better/) [Mere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mere/) [Mere Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mere-happiness-2286602/) [Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monk/) [Motivational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivational/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) ## Related quotes > [A society in which there are high levels of voluntary activity will simply be a better, happier place than one where there are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/a-society-in-which-there-are-high-levels-of-voluntary-activity-will/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) > [If only political leaders would allow themselves to feel, as well as to think, the world might be a happier place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/golda-meir/if-only-political-leaders-would-allow-themselves-to-feel-as-well-as/) [Golda Meir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/golda-meir/) > [If we were able to love more than the craving to be loved, world could have been a more happier place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/if-we-were-able-to-love-more-than-the-craving-to-be-loved-world-could/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [If everyone could learn that what is right for me does not make it right for anyone else, the world would be a much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/if-everyone-could-learn-that-what-is-right-for-me-does-not-make-it/) [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) > [I don't think there's a happier place than when you're dancing and feeling the music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vick-hope/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-happier-place-than-when-you-re-dancing-and/) [Vick Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vick-hope/) > [I'm in a happier place because my dreams are coming true. I'm acting in feature films, and I'm travelling the world. Before, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-thomas/i-m-in-a-happier-place-because-my-dreams-are-coming-true-i-m-acting/) [Ashley Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-thomas/) > [“The world would be a brighter, happier place, if we could only remember our childhood wonder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-world-would-be-a-brighter-happier-place-if-we-could-only-remember/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Because if everyone played the ukulele, this world would be a much happier place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shimabukuro/because-if-everyone-played-the-ukulele-this-world-would-be-a-much/) [Jake Shimabukuro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shimabukuro/) > [If he wanted the world to be a happier place, he'd lift my tears up off my face. And if he wanted the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-the-best/if-he-wanted-the-world-to-be-a-happier-place-he-d-lift-my-tears-up/) [SAM (THE BEST](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-the-best/) > [I see my purpose in life as making the world a happier place to be in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-niven/i-see-my-purpose-in-life-as-making-the-world-a-happier-place-to-be-in/) [David Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-niven/) > [On the third Friday of each month, I go to the Andy Griffith Museum. I get to meet hundreds of fans who stand in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-lynn/on-the-third-friday-of-each-month-i-go-to-the-andy-griffith-museum-i/) [Betty Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-lynn/) > [Don’t try and make me feel better, Alex. I hate you.” “I hate you, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-elkeles/don-t-try-and-make-me-feel-better-alex-i-hate-you-i-hate-you-too/) [Simone Elkeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-elkeles/) > [I do try to watch it. I'm not saying you have to put yourself on a diet, because I hate the word "diet." But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-sims/i-do-try-to-watch-it-i-m-not-saying-you-have-to-put-yourself-on-a/) [Molly Sims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-sims/) > [Ay-firmative,' Eve said, and tried for a smile. 'Sorry. An Aliens reference always makes me feel better at times like this. Exept I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/ay-firmative-eve-said-and-tried-for-a-smile-sorry-an-aliens-reference/) [Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Pico Iyer > [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [For citizens who think themselves puppets in the hands of their rulers, nothing is more satisfying than having rulers as puppets in their hands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/for-citizens-who-think-themselves-puppets-in-the-hands-of-their/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [The Dalai Lama would say that meditation is something that can help everyone. 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If, for example, you're taking a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/when-you-re-hurrying-around-too-quickly-he-had-said-there-s-a-part-of/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/we-travel-to-open-our-hearts-and-eyes-and-learn-more-about-the-world/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [The Dalai Lama, these days, encourages Westerners not to take up Buddhism, partly because he feels that our roots are deep in other traditions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-these-days-encourages-westerners-not-to-take-up/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [And if travel is like love, it is, in the end, mostly because it's a heightened state of awareness, in which we are mindful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/and-if-travel-is-like-love-it-is-in-the-end-mostly-because-it-s-a/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [As soon as I began to talk to Dalai Lama, I realized that Chinese and Tibetans from his point of view are mostly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/as-soon-as-i-began-to-talk-to-dalai-lama-i-realized-that-chinese-and/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [When we are kids, we imagine that to define ourselves or to find ourselves means charting your own individuality, making your own destiny, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/when-we-are-kids-we-imagine-that-to-define-ourselves-or-to-find/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [A writer is a palmist, reading the lines of the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/a-writer-is-a-palmist-reading-the-lines-of-the-planet/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [In barely one generation, we've moved from exulting in the time-saving devices that have so expanded our lives to trying to get away from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/in-barely-one-generation-we-ve-moved-from-exulting-in-the-time-saving/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [For centuries, Cubas greatest resource has been its people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/for-centuries-cubas-greatest-resource-has-been-its-people/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [Writing is, in the end, that oddest of anomalies: an intimate letter to a stranger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/writing-is-in-the-end-that-oddest-of-anomalies-an-intimate-letter-to/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [“Was it only through another that I could begin to get at myself?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/was-it-only-through-another-that-i-could-begin-to-get-at-myself/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) [Explore all 266 Pico Iyer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. 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I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Nothing makes me feel better - calmer, clearer and happier - than being in one place, absorbed in a book, a conversation, a piece of music. 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