--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How small, of all that human hearts…" description: "\"“How small, of all that human hearts endure, That part which laws or kings can cause or cure. Still to ourselves in every place consign'd, Our own feli..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9a/samuel-johnson-50_nature-of-man_how-small-of-all-that-human-hearts-endur_1261205.jpg" --- # How small, of all that human hearts endure, That part… ![“How small, of all that human hearts endure, That part which laws or kings can cause or cure. Still to ourselves in every place consign'd, Our own felicity we make or find:” quote by Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9a/samuel-johnson-50_nature-of-man_how-small-of-all-that-human-hearts-endur_1261205.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9a/samuel-johnson-50_nature-of-man_how-small-of-all-that-human-hearts-endur_1261205.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9a/samuel-johnson-50_nature-of-man_how-small-of-all-that-human-hearts-endur_1261205.jpg) > ““How small, of all that human hearts endure, That part which laws or kings can cause or cure. Still to ourselves in every place consign'd, Our own felicity we make or find:”” [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human suffering is inevitable, yet individuals control their own happiness despite external forces **In simple terms:** We shape our own happiness Key Takeaway Take responsibility for personal joy Themes human condition freedom resilience Mood thoughtful hopeful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal crises - health challenges - relationship struggles Key Concepts philosophical determinism agency Questions to Reflect On - What internal habits foster true contentment? - How can you influence your own fate? A Different Perspective External forces limit but do not dictate happiness ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cause Cure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cause-cure-2854511/) [Endure Laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endure-laws-1549636/) [Hearts Endure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hearts-endure-1280417/) [Human Hearts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-hearts-931558/) [Laws Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laws-kings-3504507/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) ## Related quotes > [How small of all that human hearts endure/That part which laws or kings can cause or cure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/how-small-of-all-that-human-hearts-endure-that-part-which-laws-or-2/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [How small of all that human hearts endure, That part which laws or kings can cause or cure! Still to ourselves in every place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/how-small-of-all-that-human-hearts-endure-that-part-which-laws-or-3/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“Thus men, according to Bossuet, derive nothing from themselves; patriotism, wealth, inventions, husbandry, science—all come to them by the operation of the laws, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/thus-men-according-to-bossuet-derive-nothing-from-themselves/) [Frédéric Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [“You can't be the cause and the cure, mon amour.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-mostafa/you-can-t-be-the-cause-and-the-cure-mon-amour/) [Ahmed Mostafa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-mostafa/) > [ Love will break your heart,\[...\] but love can also mend it. Not many things in life are both the cause and the cure. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/love-will-break-your-heart-but-love-can-also-mend-it-not-many-things/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [The first step to prescribing the right medicine is to recognize the cause of the illness. And, when it comes to what is ailing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghuram-rajan/the-first-step-to-prescribing-the-right-medicine-is-to-recognize-the/) [Raghuram Rajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghuram-rajan/) > [The reality, certainly in my life, is that we all have love stories that go terribly wrong; we all have horribly broken hearts. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/the-reality-certainly-in-my-life-is-that-we-all-have-love-stories/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“Only courageous hearts can endure the bitterness of truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/only-courageous-hearts-can-endure-the-bitterness-of-truth/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [When an immortal passion breathes in mortal clay; Our hearts endure the scourge, the plaited thorns, the way Crowded with bitter faces, the wounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/when-an-immortal-passion-breathes-in-mortal-clay-our-hearts-endure/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [“Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn also grappled with this tendency, but he came to the conclusion that “the line separating good and evil passes not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/russian-writer-aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-also-grappled-with-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We fear the monster's capacity for evil because we recognize it in human hearts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-sagan/we-fear-the-monster-s-capacity-for-evil-because-we-recognize-it-in/) [Nick Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-sagan/) > [A faerie heart is different from a human heart. Human hearts are elastic. They have room for all sorts of passions, and they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-faerie-heart-is-different-from-a-human-heart-human-hearts-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The great river-courses which have shaped the lives of men have hardly changed; and those other streams, the life-currents that ebb and flow in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/the-great-river-courses-which-have-shaped-the-lives-of-men-have/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [We've got to rebuild human hearts - and persuade people that hope isn't just possible, but essential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-snow/we-ve-got-to-rebuild-human-hearts-and-persuade-people-that-hope-isn-t/) [Tony Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-snow/) > [Human hearts are elastic. They have room for all sorts of passions, and they can break and heal and love again and again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-lynn-anderson/human-hearts-are-elastic-they-have-room-for-all-sorts-of-passions-and/) [Jodi Lynn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-lynn-anderson/) ## More by Samuel Johnson > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [You can never be wise unless you love reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/you-can-never-be-wise-unless-you-love-reading/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [If our aim is to praise, we should forget to criticize; if our aim is to criticize, we should remember to praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/if-our-aim-is-to-praise-we-should-forget-to-criticize-if-our-aim-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [All theory is against free will; all experience is for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/all-theory-is-against-free-will-all-experience-is-for-it/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Had I learned to fiddle, I should have done nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/had-i-learned-to-fiddle-i-should-have-done-nothing-else/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [It is as foolish to make experiments upon the constancy of a friend, as upon the chastity of a wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-as-foolish-to-make-experiments-upon-the-constancy-of-a-friend/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness; it certainly destroys liberty, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/resolve-not-to-be-poor-whatever-you-have-spend-less-poverty-is-a/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The basis of all excellence is truth: he that professes love ought to feel its power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-basis-of-all-excellence-is-truth-he-that-professes-love-ought-to/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Words are daughters of earth but ideas are sons of heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/words-are-daughters-of-earth-but-ideas-are-sons-of-heaven/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“The composition of Shakespeare is a forest, in which oaks extend in the air, interspersed sometimes with weeds and brambles, and sometimes giving shelting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-composition-of-shakespeare-is-a-forest-in-which-oaks-extend-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“The cherubim were never intended as an object of worship, because they were only the appendices to another thing. 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Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [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/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [Every human creates his own problems. Problems are ones private property and we shouldnt meddle into them self-initiatively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-papian/every-human-creates-his-own-problems-problems-are-ones-private/) [Ruben Papian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-papian/) > [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [“In the United States law, federally designated wilderness is famously defined as 'an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-marris/in-the-united-states-law-federally-designated-wilderness-is-famously/) [Emma Marris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-marris/) > [“For similar reasons, archaic humans did not initiate any revolutions. 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