--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is best not to go on for great quest…" description: "\"It is best not to go on for great quest for truth , it will only make you miserable\" — Rene Descartes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/ren-descartes-1376_adventure_it-is-best-not-to-go-on-for-great-quest_2075608.png" --- # It is best not to go on for great quest for truth , it… ![“It is best not to go on for great quest for truth , it will only make you miserable” quote by Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/ren-descartes-1376_adventure_it-is-best-not-to-go-on-for-great-quest_2075608.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/ren-descartes-1376_adventure_it-is-best-not-to-go-on-for-great-quest_2075608.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/ren-descartes-1376_adventure_it-is-best-not-to-go-on-for-great-quest_2075608.png) > “It is best not to go on for great quest for truth , it will only make you miserable” [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pursuing truth obsessively can cause suffering; sometimes restraint is wiser. **In simple terms:** Seeking truth may bring misery. Key Takeaway Balance inquiry with well‑being. Themes truth suffering restraint Mood thoughtful cautious Type philosophical advisory When to use this quote - academic research - personal belief crises - spiritual quests Key Concepts philosophy epistemology well‑being Questions to Reflect On - When is it healthy to pause seeking truth? - How to discern productive vs. harmful inquiry? A Different Perspective May discourage necessary questioning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [Aries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aries/) [Miserable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miserable/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [He had been through a good deal in the course of the Great Quest — he had seen beautiful things and horrible things —…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/he-had-been-through-a-good-deal-in-the-course-of-the-great-quest-he/) [Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/) > [The great quest of life has always been to discover truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/the-great-quest-of-life-has-always-been-to-discover-truth/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [To find oneself living in an age of doubt is not such a curse. There is a kind of reverence in undertaking the quest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/to-find-oneself-living-in-an-age-of-doubt-is-not-such-a-curse-there/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [The quest for truth must be carried out by each person individually. It is like breathing, something which no one else can do for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/the-quest-for-truth-must-be-carried-out-by-each-person-individually/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [Clarity and consistency are not enough: the quest for truth requires humility and effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/clarity-and-consistency-are-not-enough-the-quest-for-truth-requires/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [Soon, My Great Quest, shall begin. Sir Eric of Weird, upon the road. And you, my dear friend, shall be with me, smiling, giggling,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-nickel/soon-my-great-quest-shall-begin-sir-eric-of-weird-upon-the-road-and/) [Eric Nickel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-nickel/) > [The greatest minds, as they are capable of the highest excellencies, are open likewise to the greatest aberrations; and those who travel very slowly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/the-greatest-minds-as-they-are-capable-of-the-highest-excellencies/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [In philosophy, when we make use of false principles, we depart the farther from the knowledge of truth and wisdom exactly in proportion to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/in-philosophy-when-we-make-use-of-false-principles-we-depart-the/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [Nothing comes out of nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/nothing-comes-out-of-nothing/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [Doubt is the origin of wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/doubt-is-the-origin-of-wisdom/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [“So, you'd rather just regurgitate what these books tell you than know what really happened?" 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Where's your spirit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-doucette/so-you-d-rather-just-regurgitate-what-these-books-tell-you-than-know/) [Gene Doucette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-doucette/) > [The terrible thing about the quest for truth is that you find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/the-terrible-thing-about-the-quest-for-truth-is-that-you-find-it/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [The quest for the truth, in and of itself, Is a story that's filled with insights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-porco/the-quest-for-the-truth-in-and-of-itself-is-a-story-that-s-filled/) [Carolyn Porco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-porco/) > [The quest of the truth had been born in me - the most tragic and incomplete, as well as the most essential, of man's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-tarbell/the-quest-of-the-truth-had-been-born-in-me-the-most-tragic-and/) [Ida Tarbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-tarbell/) > [There is a relentless search for the factual and this quest often lacks warmth or reverence. At a certain stage in our life we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/there-is-a-relentless-search-for-the-factual-and-this-quest-often/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) ## More by Rene Descartes > [“My third maxim was to endeavour always to conquer myself rather than fortune, and change my desires rather than the order of the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/my-third-maxim-was-to-endeavour-always-to-conquer-myself-rather-than/) [René Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the self-same well from which your laughter rises was often-times filled with your tears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/your-joy-is-your-sorrow-unmasked-and-the-self-same-well-from-which/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [So blind is the curiosity by which mortals are possessed, that they often conduct their minds along unexplored routes, having no reason to hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/so-blind-is-the-curiosity-by-which-mortals-are-possessed-that-they/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [“For to be possessed of a vigorous mind is not enough; the prime requisite is rightly to apply it. The greatest minds, as they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/for-to-be-possessed-of-a-vigorous-mind-is-not-enough-the-prime/) [René Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [“It is useful to know something of the manners of different nations, that we may be enabled to form a more correct judgment regarding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/it-is-useful-to-know-something-of-the-manners-of-different-nations/) [René Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [A state is better governed which has few laws, and those laws strictly observed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/a-state-is-better-governed-which-has-few-laws-and-those-laws-strictly/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [ \[About Pierre de Fermat\] It cannot be denied that he has had many exceptional ideas, and that he is a highly intelligent man. For… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/about-pierre-de-fermat-it-cannot-be-denied-that-he-has-had-many/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [Science is practical philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/science-is-practical-philosophy/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [ “And what more am I? I look for aid to the imagination. \[But how mistakenly!\] I am not that assemblage of limbs we call… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/and-what-more-am-i-i-look-for-aid-to-the-imagination-but-how/) [René Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [“And, in fine, of false sciences I thought I knew the worth sufficiently to escape being deceived by the professions of an alchemist, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/and-in-fine-of-false-sciences-i-thought-i-knew-the-worth-sufficiently/) [René Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [Nothing is more fairly distributed than common sense: no one thinks he needs more of it than he already has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/nothing-is-more-fairly-distributed-than-common-sense-no-one-thinks-he/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [If I go for the alternative which is false, then obviously I shall be in error; if I take the other side, then it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/if-i-go-for-the-alternative-which-is-false-then-obviously-i-shall-be/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [Everything is self-evident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/everything-is-self-evident/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [Neither the true nor the false roots are always real; sometimes they are imaginary; that is, while we can always imagine as many roots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/neither-the-true-nor-the-false-roots-are-always-real-sometimes-they/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [It is only intelligence that is divided equally between people because everybody thinks he/she is enough wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/it-is-only-intelligence-that-is-divided-equally-between-people/) [René Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) [Explore all 232 Rene Descartes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) ## More Adventure quotes > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/) [Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) Jessica Yu > [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/) Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/) [Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/) > [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/) Kevin McLeod > [“It always gave Wolf a peculiar thrill thus to tighten his grip upon his stick, thus to wrap himself more closely in his faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-always-gave-wolf-a-peculiar-thrill-thus-to-tighten-his-grip-upon/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. What did people mean, with their simply determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-all-had-to-be-squeezed-and-squeezed-again-to-provide-a-thrill-to/) [D.H. 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