--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Some pleasures are intrinsically…" description: "\"“Some pleasures are intrinsically ethical—feelings like love, gratitude, devotion, and compassion. To inhabit these states of mind is, by definition, t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f4/sam-harris-457_compassion_some-pleasures-are-intrinsically-ethical_1949437.jpg" --- # Some pleasures are intrinsically ethical—feelings like… ![“Some pleasures are intrinsically ethical—feelings like love, gratitude, devotion, and compassion. To inhabit these states of mind is, by definition, to be brought into alignment with others.” quote by Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f4/sam-harris-457_compassion_some-pleasures-are-intrinsically-ethical_1949437.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f4/sam-harris-457_compassion_some-pleasures-are-intrinsically-ethical_1949437.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f4/sam-harris-457_compassion_some-pleasures-are-intrinsically-ethical_1949437.jpg) > ““Some pleasures are intrinsically ethical—feelings like love, gratitude, devotion, and compassion. To inhabit these states of mind is, by definition, to be brought into alignment with others.”” [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Certain positive emotions are inherently moral, aligning individuals with others' wellbeing. **In simple terms:** Love, gratitude, compassion are naturally ethical. Key Takeaway Cultivate these feelings to foster ethical connections. Themes ethics emotions human connection Mood inspirational empathetic Type psychological ethical When to use this quote - relationships - community building - mental health - education Key Concepts moral philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can you nurture compassion in daily life? - What barriers prevent feeling gratitude? A Different Perspective Not all cultures value these emotions equally. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Ethical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethical/) [Ethical Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethical-feelings-3154563/) [Gratitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude/) [Intrinsically Ethical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intrinsically-ethical-3154564/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love gratitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-gratitude/) [Pleasures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasures/) [Pleasures Intrinsically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasures-intrinsically-3154562/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [“But our pleasures are, by their very nature, fleeting. If we enjoy some great professional success, our feelings of accomplishment remain vivid and intoxicating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/but-our-pleasures-are-by-their-very-nature-fleeting-if-we-enjoy-some/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [We read the Golden Rule and judge it to be a brilliant distillation of many of our ethical impulses. And then we come across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/we-read-the-golden-rule-and-judge-it-to-be-a-brilliant-distillation/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Some propositions are so dangerous that it may even be ethical to kill people for believing them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/some-propositions-are-so-dangerous-that-it-may-even-be-ethical-to/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [A kernel of truth lurks at the heart of religion, because spiritual experience, ethical behavior, and strong communities are essential for human happiness. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/a-kernel-of-truth-lurks-at-the-heart-of-religion-because-spiritual/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [I am one of the few people I know of who has argued in print that torture may be an ethical necessity in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/i-am-one-of-the-few-people-i-know-of-who-has-argued-in-print-that/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [I have noticed that the Universe loves Gratitude. The more Grateful you are, the more goodies you get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-hay/i-have-noticed-that-the-universe-loves-gratitude-the-more-grateful/) [Louise Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-hay/) > [“That which is of great value cannot be attained through aggression. You will be able to find the mystery of life only if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/that-which-is-of-great-value-cannot-be-attained-through-aggression/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [“The truth is I do love you. Admitting that means opening myself up to all that pain when you leave. After you realize this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-moran/the-truth-is-i-do-love-you-admitting-that-means-opening-myself-up-to/) [Kelly Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-moran/) > [Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned or worn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/happiness-cannot-be-traveled-to-owned-earned-or-worn/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [“Living in constant love and gratitude is the essence of spirituality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akemi-g/living-in-constant-love-and-gratitude-is-the-essence-of-spirituality/) [Akemi G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akemi-g/) > [I have heard of bloggers who don't accept awards. I accept them with open arms...why not? When we spread the love and gratitude around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-jenkins/i-have-heard-of-bloggers-who-don-t-accept-awards-i-accept-them-with/) [Katherine Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-jenkins/) > [“She suspects that he made her feel better about a bad time and she was grateful. But gratitude should not merit love. Gratitude should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-culliton/she-suspects-that-he-made-her-feel-better-about-a-bad-time-and-she/) [Emily Culliton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-culliton/) > [When in doubt, always choose love & gratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-elrod/when-in-doubt-always-choose-love-gratitude/) [Hal Elrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-elrod/) > [Reflect upon your present blessings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/reflect-upon-your-present-blessings/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“and man, though idiotic, and knowing not what he does, yet full of the sweet things of love and gratitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/and-man-though-idiotic-and-knowing-not-what-he-does-yet-full-of-the/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) ## More by Sam Harris > [“Moderates in every faith are obliged to loosely interpret (or simply ignore) much of their canons in the interests of living in the modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/moderates-in-every-faith-are-obliged-to-loosely-interpret-or-simply/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [There is no question but that nominally religious scientists like Francis Collins and Kenneth R. Miller are doing lasting harm to our discourse by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/there-is-no-question-but-that-nominally-religious-scientists-like/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [We have Christians against Muslims against Jews, and no matter how liberal your theology, merely identifying yourself as a Christian or a Jew lends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/we-have-christians-against-muslims-against-jews-and-no-matter-how/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Your principal concern appears to be that the Creator of the universe will take offense at something people do while naked. This prudery of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/your-principal-concern-appears-to-be-that-the-creator-of-the-universe/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“As manuals for contemplative understanding, the Bible and the Koran are worse than useless. Whatever wisdom can be found in their pages is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/as-manuals-for-contemplative-understanding-the-bible-and-the-koran/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [About 120 million of us place the big bang 2,500 years after the Babylonians and Sumerians learned to brew beer. If our polls are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/about-120-million-of-us-place-the-big-bang-2-500-years-after-the/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“If your golf instructor were to insist that you shave your head, sleep no more than four hours each night, renounce sex, and subsist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/if-your-golf-instructor-were-to-insist-that-you-shave-your-head-sleep/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The fact that one can lose one's sense of self in an ocean of tranquility does not mean that one's consciousness is immaterial or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-fact-that-one-can-lose-one-s-sense-of-self-in-an-ocean-of/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The second commandment is "Thou shall not construct any graven images." Is this really the pinnacle of what we can achieve morally? The second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-second-commandment-is-thou-shall-not-construct-any-graven-images/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“But the reality of consciousness appears irreducible. Only consciousness can know itself—and directly, through first-person experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/but-the-reality-of-consciousness-appears-irreducible-only/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Whether or not one likes Huntington's formulation, one thing is clear: the evil that has finally reached our shores is not merely the evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/whether-or-not-one-likes-huntington-s-formulation-one-thing-is-clear/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The problem is that religion tends to give people bad reasons to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-problem-is-that-religion-tends-to-give-people-bad-reasons-to-be/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [Muslim moderates, wherever they are, must be given every tool necessary to win a war of ideas with their co-religionists. Otherwise, we will have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/muslim-moderates-wherever-they-are-must-be-given-every-tool-necessary/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The idea that any one of our religions represents the infallible word of the One True God requires an encyclopedic ignorance of history, mythology,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-idea-that-any-one-of-our-religions-represents-the-infallible-word/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“What could possibly cause billions of human beings to reconsider their religious beliefs? And yet, it is obvious that an utter revolution in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/what-could-possibly-cause-billions-of-human-beings-to-reconsider/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) [Explore all 543 Sam Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## More Compassion quotes > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“I fight with love and kindness as my weapons and compassion as my defense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/i-fight-with-love-and-kindness-as-my-weapons-and-compassion-as-my/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [I really enjoy making people laugh; I've discovered that's a great technique. That's as powerful as stirring their sorrow, stirring their compassion, because that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-really-enjoy-making-people-laugh-i-ve-discovered-that-s-a-great/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [“If you refuse to use physical force, then you will be at the mercy of your oppressor!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/segun-magbagbeola/if-you-refuse-to-use-physical-force-then-you-will-be-at-the-mercy-of/) [Segun Magbagbeola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/segun-magbagbeola/) > [For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/for-some-reason-we-are-truly-convinced-that-if-we-criticize-ourselves/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [I could not have slept tonight if I had left that helpless little creature to perish on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-could-not-have-slept-tonight-if-i-had-left-that-helpless-little/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [We are puzzled and bewildered whenever we see suffering in this world because we have become accustomed to the mercy and the long-suffering of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-are-puzzled-and-bewildered-whenever-we-see-suffering-in-this-world/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [“Helpers in every corner, helpers in every hood. That's how we'll make the move, to reform from rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/helpers-in-every-corner-helpers-in-every-hood-that-s-how-we-ll-make/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [May the gods have mercy on whoever pisses them off, because Zarek and Jericho will have none for them. (Madoc) You’d better be glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/may-the-gods-have-mercy-on-whoever-pisses-them-off-because-zarek-and/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [When you need empathy, you cannot give empathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/when-you-need-empathy-you-cannot-give-empathy/) [Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [“la ilaha ilallah muhammadun rasulullah, alaihi salatullah wa alihi wal ahibba "shine your mercy like the sun, and be gracious as the earth let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-al-habib/la-ilaha-ilallah-muhammadun-rasulullah-alaihi-salatullah-wa-alihi-wal/) [Talib al Habib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-al-habib/) > [The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-love-for-all-living-creatures-is-the-most-noble-attribute-of-man/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) [Browse all 9,892 Compassion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Some pleasures are intrinsically ethical—feelings like love, gratitude, devotion, and compassion. 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