---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To make others less happy is a crime. To…"
description: "\"To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/962/roger-ebert-655_body_to-make-others-less-happy-is-a-crime-to_748231.jpg"
---

#  To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves…

![“To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn't always know this, and am happy I lived long enough to find it out.” quote by Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/962/roger-ebert-655_body_to-make-others-less-happy-is-a-crime-to_748231.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/962/roger-ebert-655_body_to-make-others-less-happy-is-a-crime-to_748231.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/962/roger-ebert-655_body_to-make-others-less-happy-is-a-crime-to_748231.jpg)

> “To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn't always know this, and am happy I lived long enough to find it out.”

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Causing others' unhappiness is a crime; personal unhappiness is the root of all wrongdoing; we should strive to spread joy regardless of circumstances.

**In simple terms:** Hurt others is wrong; be happy and spread joy.

Key Takeaway

Focus on creating joy for others.

Themes

ethics joy humanity well‑being

Mood

hopeful empathetic

Type

inspirational philosophical

When to use this quote

- volunteering
- teamwork
- family life
- community building

Key Concepts

altruism psychology moral philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- What small actions can you take today to bring joy to someone?
- How does your own happiness affect those around you?

A Different Perspective

Joy can be hard to maintain under hardship.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Joy to the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy-to-the-world/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problems/) [Unhappy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unhappy/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [“To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/to-make-others-less-happy-is-a-crime-to-make-ourselves-unhappy-is-2/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [“I believe that if, at the end of it all, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/i-believe-that-if-at-the-end-of-it-all-according-to-our-abilities-we/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/to-make-others-less-happy-is-a-crime-to-make-ourselves-unhappy-is-3/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [Progress of a marriage: There was a time when you couldn't make me happy. Now the time has come when you can make me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-layton/progress-of-a-marriage-there-was-a-time-when-you-couldn-t-make-me/)

[Irving Layton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-layton/)

> [We must try to contribute joy to the world. I didn't always know this and am happy I lived long enough to find it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/we-must-try-to-contribute-joy-to-the-world-i-didn-t-always-know-this/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/we-must-try-to-contribute-joy-to-the-world-that-is-true-no-matter/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [We must try to contribute joy to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/we-must-try-to-contribute-joy-to-the-world/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [Money cannot make you happy, but it can get rid of many of the things that make you unhappy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anthony/money-cannot-make-you-happy-but-it-can-get-rid-of-many-of-the-things/)

[Robert Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anthony/)

> [If I can make you unhappy, then I can make you happy as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/if-i-can-make-you-unhappy-then-i-can-make-you-happy-as-well/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [“I close my eyes I make myself unhappy so you'll go. Without me, oh what's wrong with you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-quin/i-close-my-eyes-i-make-myself-unhappy-so-you-ll-go-without-me-oh-what/)

[Sara Quin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-quin/)

> [Creating doesn't make us unhappy, unhappiness makes us creative. To create is to live, and in living, we want only to creat more, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-g-wilson/creating-doesn-t-make-us-unhappy-unhappiness-makes-us-creative-to/)

[Eric G. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-g-wilson/)

> [I wonder if people always choose what will make them unhappy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-whalen-turner/i-wonder-if-people-always-choose-what-will-make-them-unhappy/)

[Megan Whalen Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-whalen-turner/)

> [“No happy marriage was, in his estimation, ever based on thoughtless, automatic untruths and exclusions. And the best way to make someone unhappy, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/no-happy-marriage-was-in-his-estimation-ever-based-on-thoughtless/)

[Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/)

> [“And I know that I'd just make myself unhappy by comparing that reality to... something perfect that I built up in my imagination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/and-i-know-that-i-d-just-make-myself-unhappy-by-comparing-that/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [If someone in your life makes you unhappy more than they make you happy, it doesn't matter how much you love them, you must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-someone-in-your-life-makes-you-unhappy-more-than-they-make-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Roger Ebert

> [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [It is an interesting law of romance that a truly strong woman will choose a strong man who disagrees with her over a weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-is-an-interesting-law-of-romance-that-a-truly-strong-woman-will/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [I am, beneath everything else, a fan. I was fixed in this mode as a young boy and am awed by people who take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/i-am-beneath-everything-else-a-fan-i-was-fixed-in-this-mode-as-a/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [“We’d had a revelation. This was the direction American movies should take: into idiosyncratic characters, into dialogue with an ear for the vulgar and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/we-d-had-a-revelation-this-was-the-direction-american-movies-should/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [“Most courtroom movies feel it necessary to end with a clear-cut verdict. But 12 Angry Men never states whether the defendant is innocent or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/most-courtroom-movies-feel-it-necessary-to-end-with-a-clear-cut/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [What every human being should do is eat a vegetarian diet based on whole foods. Period. That's it. Animal protein is bad for you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/what-every-human-being-should-do-is-eat-a-vegetarian-diet-based-on/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [I value the kind of prayer when you stand at the edge of the sea, or beneath a tree, or smell a flower, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/i-value-the-kind-of-prayer-when-you-stand-at-the-edge-of-the-sea-or/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [“One of my delights in these books, on the other hand, has been to include movies not often cited as “great”—some because they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/one-of-my-delights-in-these-books-on-the-other-hand-has-been-to/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [A movie isn't good or bad based on its politics. It's usually good or bad for other reasons, though you might agree or disagree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/a-movie-isn-t-good-or-bad-based-on-its-politics-it-s-usually-good-or/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [It is human nature to look away from illness. We don't enjoy a reminder of our own fragile mortality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-is-human-nature-to-look-away-from-illness-we-don-t-enjoy-a/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [ Gene \[Siskel\] often mentioned something François Truffaut once told him: the most beautiful sight in a movie theater is to walk down to the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/gene-siskel-often-mentioned-something-fran-ois-truffaut-once-told-him/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [A movie is not about what it is about. It is about how it is about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/a-movie-is-not-about-what-it-is-about-it-is-about-how-it-is-about-it/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [James Cameron's films have always been distinguished by ground-breaking technical excellence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/james-cameron-s-films-have-always-been-distinguished-by-ground/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [Friends don't let Jackasses drink and drive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/friends-don-t-let-jackasses-drink-and-drive/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [I think we have to get beyond the idea that we have to categorize people. We can now have action movies with two stars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/i-think-we-have-to-get-beyond-the-idea-that-we-have-to-categorize/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

[Explore all 427 Roger Ebert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

## More Body quotes

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/)

[Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/)

> [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/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [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/)

> [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/)

Jennifer Siebel Newsom

> [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/)

[Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/)

[Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/)

> [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/)

[Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/)

> [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/)

[Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/)

> [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/)

[Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/)

> [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/)

> [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

[Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn't always know this, and am happy I lived long enough to find it out.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Roger Ebert"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/to-make-others-less-happy-is-a-crime-to-make-ourselves-unhappy-is/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Body"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/to-make-others-less-happy-is-a-crime-to-make-ourselves-unhappy-is/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/962/roger-ebert-655_body_to-make-others-less-happy-is-a-crime-to_748231.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/962/roger-ebert-655_body_to-make-others-less-happy-is-a-crime-to_748231.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/962/roger-ebert-655_body_to-make-others-less-happy-is-a-crime-to_748231.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to…” — Roger Ebert",
                "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": "Roger Ebert",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "To make others less happy is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/to-make-others-less-happy-is-a-crime-to-make-ourselves-unhappy-is/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/to-make-others-less-happy-is-a-crime-to-make-ourselves-unhappy-is/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
