--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Only a fool expects to be happy all the…" description: "\"Only a fool expects to be happy all the time.\" — Robertson Davies" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/645/robertson-davies-834_fool_only-a-fool-expects-to-be-happy-all-the_2459147.png" --- # Only a fool expects to be happy all the time. ![“Only a fool expects to be happy all the time.” quote by Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/645/robertson-davies-834_fool_only-a-fool-expects-to-be-happy-all-the_2459147.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/645/robertson-davies-834_fool_only-a-fool-expects-to-be-happy-all-the_2459147.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/645/robertson-davies-834_fool_only-a-fool-expects-to-be-happy-all-the_2459147.png) > “Only a fool expects to be happy all the time.” [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Happiness is fleeting; expecting constant joy is unrealistic. **In simple terms:** Constant happiness is impossible. Key Takeaway Accept life's emotional ups and downs. Themes realism emotional health expectations Mood thoughtful balanced Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - relationship counseling - mental health practice - personal reflection - stress management Key Concepts psychology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How do you cope with inevitable low moments? - What practices sustain your well‑being? A Different Perspective Some may argue that striving for happiness is valuable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expects Happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expects-happy-636004/) [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [Fool Expects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool-expects-627874/) [Foolishness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolishness/) [Happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy/) [Happy Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-time-483223/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [If you do things merely because you think some other fool expects you to do them, and he expects you to do them because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/if-you-do-things-merely-because-you-think-some-other-fool-expects-you/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [My creed is that: Happiness is the only good. The place to be happy is here. The time to be happy is now. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/my-creed-is-that-happiness-is-the-only-good-the-place-to-be-happy-is/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [... Nessun maggior dolore Che ricordarsi del tempo felice Nella miseria. (There is no greater pain than to remember a happy time when one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/nessun-maggior-dolore-che-ricordarsi-del-tempo-felice-nella-miseria/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [People think you should be happy all the time but you can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tones-and-i/people-think-you-should-be-happy-all-the-time-but-you-can-t/) [Tones and I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tones-and-i/) > [There's a lot of people who think that I am happy all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-kingston/there-s-a-lot-of-people-who-think-that-i-am-happy-all-the-time/) [Kofi Kingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-kingston/) > [The dinner hour is a sacred, happy time when everyone should be together and relaxed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/the-dinner-hour-is-a-sacred-happy-time-when-everyone-should-be/) [Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/) > [The summer of 1943 at Exeter was as happy a time as I ever had in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/the-summer-of-1943-at-exeter-was-as-happy-a-time-as-i-ever-had-in-my/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > ['Silver Street' was a very happy time for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-dobson/silver-street-was-a-very-happy-time-for-me/) [Anita Dobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-dobson/) > [“I knew damn well that nobody's ever really happy, or happy on time, since happiness belongs to the past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-skvorecky/i-knew-damn-well-that-nobody-s-ever-really-happy-or-happy-on-time/) [Josef Škvorecký](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-skvorecky/) > [“You wouldn't be able to appreciate the happy time if you didn't sometimes experience sad times as well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-hill/you-wouldn-t-be-able-to-appreciate-the-happy-time-if-you-didn-t/) [Melissa Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-hill/) > [Happiness is something that you can definitely achieve. At first, it will just come for a moment or two. Then it will come for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/happiness-is-something-that-you-can-definitely-achieve-at-first-it/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I am happy most of the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronnie-corbett/i-am-happy-most-of-the-time/) [Ronnie Corbett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronnie-corbett/) > [How could you be heartbroken and happy at the same time?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/how-could-you-be-heartbroken-and-happy-at-the-same-time/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [What is happy? I think happy's in the moment. I don't think everybody can be happy all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-lynne/what-is-happy-i-think-happy-s-in-the-moment-i-don-t-think-everybody/) [Shelby Lynne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-lynne/) > [I love making friends and make others happy. But I also love to be happy all the time. All that aggression that you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-v-sindhu/i-love-making-friends-and-make-others-happy-but-i-also-love-to-be/) [P. V. Sindhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-v-sindhu/) ## More by Robertson Davies > [“...the irrational will have its say, perhaps because 'irrational' is the wrong word for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/the-irrational-will-have-its-say-perhaps-because-irrational-is-the/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [If you're going to do something that looks evil, don't smear it with icing and pretend it's good; just bloody well do it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/if-you-re-going-to-do-something-that-looks-evil-don-t-smear-it-with/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [Extraordinary people survive under the most terrible circumstances and they become more extraordinary because of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/extraordinary-people-survive-under-the-most-terrible-circumstances/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [Although there may be nothing new under the sun, what is old is new to us and so rich and astonishing that we never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/although-there-may-be-nothing-new-under-the-sun-what-is-old-is-new-to/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [If I had to describe my remarks this evening frankly as if I were in police court and on oath, so to speak I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/if-i-had-to-describe-my-remarks-this-evening-frankly-as-if-i-were-in/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [The people of the United States, perhaps more than any other nation in history, love to abase themselves and proclaim their unworthiness, and seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/the-people-of-the-united-states-perhaps-more-than-any-other-nation-in/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [I don't suppose God laughs at the people who think He doesn't exist. He's above jokes. But the devil isn't. That's one of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/i-don-t-suppose-god-laughs-at-the-people-who-think-he-doesn-t-exist/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [Inactivity and deprivation of all accustomed stimulus is not rest; it is a preparation for the tomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/inactivity-and-deprivation-of-all-accustomed-stimulus-is-not-rest-it/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [“My lifelong involvement with Mrs Dempster began at 5:58 o'clock p.m. on 27 December 1908, at which time I was ten years and seven months old.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/my-lifelong-involvement-with-mrs-dempster-began-at-5-58-o-clock-p-m/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [In a government like ours, the Crown is the abiding and unshakable element in government; politicians may come and go, but the Crown remains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/in-a-government-like-ours-the-crown-is-the-abiding-and-unshakable/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [The art of the quoter is to know when to stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/the-art-of-the-quoter-is-to-know-when-to-stop/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [There can be no doubt that Samuel Marchbanks is one of the choice and master spirits of this age. If there were such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/there-can-be-no-doubt-that-samuel-marchbanks-is-one-of-the-choice-and/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [Nobody who looks as though he enjoyed life is ever called distinguished, though he is a man in a million.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/nobody-who-looks-as-though-he-enjoyed-life-is-ever-called/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [They're all so highly educated, you know. Education is a great shield against experience. It offers so much, ready-made and all from the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/they-re-all-so-highly-educated-you-know-education-is-a-great-shield/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [Students today are a pretty solemn lot. One of the really notable achievements of the twentieth century has been to make the young old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/students-today-are-a-pretty-solemn-lot-one-of-the-really-notable/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) [Explore all 357 Robertson Davies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) ## More Fool quotes > [Do I look like a fool to you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamika-leeigh/do-i-look-like-a-fool-to-you/) [Tamika-leeigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamika-leeigh/) > [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“Not wise, perhaps, to be rude to the Pope's favorite son, but my viper tongue still required a fool now and then on which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-quinn/not-wise-perhaps-to-be-rude-to-the-pope-s-favorite-son-but-my-viper/) [Kate Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-quinn/) > [He's a fool that marries; but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/he-s-a-fool-that-marries-but-he-s-a-greater-fool-that-does-not-marry/) [William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [A fool and his money get a lot of publicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-bernstein/a-fool-and-his-money-get-a-lot-of-publicity/) [Al Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-bernstein/) > [There are different kinds of fire; there is false fire. No one knows this better than we do, but we are not such fools…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-booth/there-are-different-kinds-of-fire-there-is-false-fire-no-one-knows/) [William Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-booth/) > [Every man must wear out at least one pair of fools shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-derr-biggers/every-man-must-wear-out-at-least-one-pair-of-fools-shoes/) [Earl Derr Biggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-derr-biggers/) > [If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wc-fields/if-at-first-you-don-t-succeed-try-try-again-then-quit-no-use-being-a/) [WC Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wc-fields/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [I'd be a fool to be in this for the money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-hinn/i-d-be-a-fool-to-be-in-this-for-the-money/) [Benny Hinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-hinn/) > [It is a fool of a shepherd who culls his dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-smith/it-is-a-fool-of-a-shepherd-who-culls-his-dogs/) [Jefferson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-smith/) > [Prefer to be defeated in the presence of the wise than to excel among fools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prefer-to-be-defeated-in-the-presence-of-the-wise-than-to-excel-among/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A mistake doesnt make you a fool, but denying it surely makes you one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/a-mistake-doesnt-make-you-a-fool-but-denying-it-surely-makes-you-one/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) [Browse all 5,535 Fool quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Only a fool expects to be happy all the time.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robertson Davies" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/only-a-fool-expects-to-be-happy-all-the-time/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fool" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/only-a-fool-expects-to-be-happy-all-the-time/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/645/robertson-davies-834_fool_only-a-fool-expects-to-be-happy-all-the_2459147.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/645/robertson-davies-834_fool_only-a-fool-expects-to-be-happy-all-the_2459147.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/645/robertson-davies-834_fool_only-a-fool-expects-to-be-happy-all-the_2459147.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Only a fool expects to be happy all the time.” — Robertson Davies", "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": "Robertson Davies", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Only a fool expects to be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/only-a-fool-expects-to-be-happy-all-the-time/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/only-a-fool-expects-to-be-happy-all-the-time/#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 } } ] } ```