--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Happiness is threatening and misery is…" description: "\"Happiness is threatening and misery is safe - safe for the ego. Ego can exist only in misery and through misery. Ego is an island surrounded by hell; h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/612/rajneesh-54_disappear_happiness-is-threatening-and-misery-is-s_2846232.jpg" --- # Happiness is threatening and misery is safe - safe for the… ![“Happiness is threatening and misery is safe - safe for the ego. Ego can exist only in misery and through misery. Ego is an island surrounded by hell; happiness is threatening to the ego, to the very existence of the ego. Happiness rises like a sun and the ego disappears, evaporates like a dewdrop…” quote by Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/612/rajneesh-54_disappear_happiness-is-threatening-and-misery-is-s_2846232.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/612/rajneesh-54_disappear_happiness-is-threatening-and-misery-is-s_2846232.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/612/rajneesh-54_disappear_happiness-is-threatening-and-misery-is-s_2846232.jpg) > “Happiness is threatening and misery is safe - safe for the ego. Ego can exist only in misery and through misery. Ego is an island surrounded by hell; happiness is threatening to the ego, to the very existence of the ego. Happiness rises like a sun and the ego disappears, evaporates like a dewdrop on the grass leaf.” [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The ego clings to suffering because it defines itself through pain; happiness threatens that identity, causing the ego to dissolve. **In simple terms:** Ego thrives on misery, happiness erodes it. Key Takeaway Recognize and release egoic attachments to suffering. Themes ego identity happiness fear Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - therapy - meditation - personal growth - mindfulness - self‑inquiry Key Concepts psychology spirituality self‑concept Questions to Reflect On - How does your ego react when you experience happiness? - What practices help you observe ego without judgment? A Different Perspective Ego may persist despite conscious effort to feel joy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disappear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappear/) [Ego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ego/) [Ego Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ego-existence-1714463/) [Ego Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ego-happiness-3759812/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Existence Ego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence-ego-3759811/) [Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grass/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell/) [Islands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islands/) [Leafs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leafs/) [Misery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misery/) [Misery Ego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misery-ego-1652541/) [Safe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe/) [Safe Ego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe-ego-3759813/) [Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sun/) [Threatening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threatening/) ## Related quotes > [Always make a note of what you are doing and where it leads. By and by, you will become aware of that which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/always-make-a-note-of-what-you-are-doing-and-where-it-leads-by-and-by/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Remember: ego can create misery, ego can create anguish, ego can create hate, ego can create jealousy. Ego can never become a vehicle for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/remember-ego-can-create-misery-ego-can-create-anguish-ego-can-create/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [If your love leads to misery, it was from the ego. If your love leads to a beautiful benediction, a blessedness, it was from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/if-your-love-leads-to-misery-it-was-from-the-ego-if-your-love-leads/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Normally we will say we are happy or we are unhappy. I have met some people who told Me, "Oh we went to that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/normally-we-will-say-we-are-happy-or-we-are-unhappy-i-have-met-some/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [The overriding problems are brought on by the existence of the ego, a maladaptive behavioral complex in the psyche that gets going like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/the-overriding-problems-are-brought-on-by-the-existence-of-the-ego-a/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [“An egoist is a man who denies the existence of ego in him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fahad-basheer/an-egoist-is-a-man-who-denies-the-existence-of-ego-in-him/) [Fahad Basheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fahad-basheer/) > [“To think that there is no life outside of the world is actually an extremely sick thought, a disease! So what is this disease?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/to-think-that-there-is-no-life-outside-of-the-world-is-actually-an/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The logic of the ego is that if you try to do the difficult, only then are you proving the ego’s existence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/the-logic-of-the-ego-is-that-if-you-try-to-do-the-difficult-only-then/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [“T-4.II.6. Only those who have a real and lasting sense of abundance can be truly charitable. This is obvious when you consider what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foundation-for-inner-peace/t-4-ii-6-only-those-who-have-a-real-and-lasting-sense-of-abundance/) [Foundation for Inner Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foundation-for-inner-peace/) > [“And the way to it is surrender. Stop fighting. And to stop fighting just an understanding is needed, because it creates misery, it never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/and-the-way-to-it-is-surrender-stop-fighting-and-to-stop-fighting/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [The trees change their voices in autumn as well as their shapes. No longer do they whisper to one another in muffled tones as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience-strong/the-trees-change-their-voices-in-autumn-as-well-as-their-shapes-no/) [Patience Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patience-strong/) > [I used to not be really honest with girls and then I dropped a song called Starry Room and then I started turning over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden-smith/i-used-to-not-be-really-honest-with-girls-and-then-i-dropped-a-song/) [Jaden Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden-smith/) > [You could be the leaf that never falls from the tree you could be the sun that never leaves the sky this might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-could-be-the-leaf-that-never-falls-from-the-tree-you-could-be-the/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Rajneesh > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [It all depends on you. You can go on sleeping forever, you can wake up right this moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/it-all-depends-on-you-you-can-go-on-sleeping-forever-you-can-wake-up/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [The greatest mystery in life is not life itself, but death. Death is the culmination of life, the ultimate blossoming of life. In death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-greatest-mystery-in-life-is-not-life-itself-but-death-death-is/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [This mind is a prison. It cannot find any freedom anywhere. It must die before freedom comes to you. But we have taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/this-mind-is-a-prison-it-cannot-find-any-freedom-anywhere-it-must-die/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Never belong to a crowd; Never belong to a nation; Never belong to a religion; Never belong to a race. Belong to the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/never-belong-to-a-crowd-never-belong-to-a-nation-never-belong-to-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Money should not be in the hands of individuals; otherwise it will create this problem of being burdened with guilt. And money can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/money-should-not-be-in-the-hands-of-individuals-otherwise-it-will/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Marriage is going to disappear, should disappear. And now the point is coming in the history of humanity where it becomes possible that marriage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/marriage-is-going-to-disappear-should-disappear-and-now-the-point-is/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [A mature mind is one who understands the impossibility of knowing the ultimate, and with this understanding there is a new dimension: the dimension…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/a-mature-mind-is-one-who-understands-the-impossibility-of-knowing-the/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [The word religion comes from an origin which means "coming together." But priesthood has been doing just the opposite, it has created splits in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-word-religion-comes-from-an-origin-which-means-coming-together/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Love and laughter go together; and laughter is one of the greatest medicines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/love-and-laughter-go-together-and-laughter-is-one-of-the-greatest/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [There are people who want to become rich; they become rich. If you persist you can fulfill any kind of stupidity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/there-are-people-who-want-to-become-rich-they-become-rich-if-you/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Just take one thing out and the whole palace, the whole edifice of the human mind collapses. Take effort out of it and desiring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/just-take-one-thing-out-and-the-whole-palace-the-whole-edifice-of-the/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [To me, man means awareness of death. I am not saying become afraid of death; that is not awareness. Just be aware of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/to-me-man-means-awareness-of-death-i-am-not-saying-become-afraid-of/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [So your life becomes a vital celebration, your relationship becomes a festive thing. Whatsoever you do, every moment is a festival. You eat, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/so-your-life-becomes-a-vital-celebration-your-relationship-becomes-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > ["Serenity" is the flavor of meditation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/serenity-is-the-flavor-of-meditation/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) [Explore all 1,885 Rajneesh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) ## More Disappear quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [I'm at the edge of the world, Where do I go from here? Do I disappear? Edge of the world, Should I sink or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bring-me-the-horizon/i-m-at-the-edge-of-the-world-where-do-i-go-from-here-do-i-disappear/) [Bring Me The Horizon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bring-me-the-horizon/) > [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/) [Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Pain results from a judgment you have made about a thing. Remove the judgment and the pain disappears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/pain-results-from-a-judgment-you-have-made-about-a-thing-remove-the/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [“I am disappearing, maybe I'm already gone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/i-am-disappearing-maybe-i-m-already-gone/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [“Must a people disappear for us to know they exist? Mano Dayak”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mano-dayak/must-a-people-disappear-for-us-to-know-they-exist-mano-dayak/) [Mano Dayak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mano-dayak/) > [When I step into the batters box. The fans, the noise, the cheers, they all disappear. For that moment, the world is just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/when-i-step-into-the-batters-box-the-fans-the-noise-the-cheers-they/) [Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/) > [I am sympathetic to developing countries’ concerns: because of our emissions it’s their crops that will disappear; because of our inaction, it’s their fields…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/i-am-sympathetic-to-developing-countries-concerns-because-of-our/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [Although I don't have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/although-i-don-t-have-anything-against-people-from-other-countries/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't like magic - but I have been known to make guys disappear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mr-t/i-don-t-like-magic-but-i-have-been-known-to-make-guys-disappear/) [Mr. T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mr-t/) > [It is almost impossible to overestimate the value of true humility and its power in the spiritual life. For the beginning of humility is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/it-is-almost-impossible-to-overestimate-the-value-of-true-humility/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [The pace of global warming is accelerating and the scale of the impact is devastating. The time for action is limited - we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-spitzer/the-pace-of-global-warming-is-accelerating-and-the-scale-of-the/) [Eliot Spitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-spitzer/) > [I definitely have a different perspective on music in general. But once I actually have a guitar in my hands, I think I disappear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-orcutt/i-definitely-have-a-different-perspective-on-music-in-general-but/) [Bill Orcutt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-orcutt/) [Browse all 2,209 Disappear quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappear/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Happiness is threatening and misery is safe - safe for the ego. Ego can exist only in misery and through misery. Ego is an island surrounded by hell; happiness is threatening to the ego, to the very existence of the ego. Happiness rises like a sun and the ego disappears, evaporates like a dewdrop on the grass leaf.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rajneesh" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/happiness-is-threatening-and-misery-is-safe-safe-for-the-ego-ego-can/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Disappear" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/happiness-is-threatening-and-misery-is-safe-safe-for-the-ego-ego-can/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/612/rajneesh-54_disappear_happiness-is-threatening-and-misery-is-s_2846232.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/612/rajneesh-54_disappear_happiness-is-threatening-and-misery-is-s_2846232.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/612/rajneesh-54_disappear_happiness-is-threatening-and-misery-is-s_2846232.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Happiness is threatening and misery is safe - safe for the ego. Ego can exist only in misery and through…” — Rajneesh", "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": "Rajneesh", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Happiness is threatening and misery is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/happiness-is-threatening-and-misery-is-safe-safe-for-the-ego-ego-can/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/happiness-is-threatening-and-misery-is-safe-safe-for-the-ego-ego-can/#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 } } ] } ```