--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Happiness begins to deteriorate once it…" description: "\"“Happiness begins to deteriorate once it is named.”\" — Sarah Manguso" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/sarah-manguso-11172_deteriorate_happiness-begins-to-deteriorate-once-it_2914933.jpg" --- # Happiness begins to deteriorate once it is named. ![“Happiness begins to deteriorate once it is named.” quote by Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/sarah-manguso-11172_deteriorate_happiness-begins-to-deteriorate-once-it_2914933.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/sarah-manguso-11172_deteriorate_happiness-begins-to-deteriorate-once-it_2914933.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/sarah-manguso-11172_deteriorate_happiness-begins-to-deteriorate-once-it_2914933.jpg) > ““Happiness begins to deteriorate once it is named.”” [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Labeling happiness can cause it to deteriorate, suggesting that naming changes experience. **In simple terms:** Naming happiness can ruin it. Key Takeaway Be mindful of labeling emotions. Themes happiness language psychology Mood thoughtful quiet Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - journaling - mindfulness - therapy Key Concepts philosophy cognitive science Questions to Reflect On - Why does naming affect feeling? - Can we experience joy without naming? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Begins Deteriorate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/begins-deteriorate-2500187/) [Deteriorate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deteriorate/) [Deteriorate Named](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deteriorate-named-4217493/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happiness Begins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-begins-1340576/) [Named](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/named/) ## Related quotes > [Any society which is not improving is deteriorating, and the more so the closer and more familiar it is. 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Aldiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-w-aldiss/) > [True happiness begins the instant you make yourself happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-maelane/true-happiness-begins-the-instant-you-make-yourself-happy/) [Joseph Maelane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-maelane/) > [Do you know how happiness begins? It begins with no longer being afraid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guus-kuijer/do-you-know-how-happiness-begins-it-begins-with-no-longer-being-afraid/) [Guus Kuijer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guus-kuijer/) > [“The commencement of true happiness is the realization that your happiness begins with you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogwo-david-emenike/the-commencement-of-true-happiness-is-the-realization-that-your/) [Ogwo David Emenike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogwo-david-emenike/) > [“Happy," said Thomas. "When I grow up, I am going to be happy." 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Not with your relationship, your friends, or your job. but with you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-hale/happiness-begins-with-you-not-with-your-relationship-your-friends-or/) [Mandy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-hale/) > [Happiness begins where selfishness ends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/happiness-begins-where-selfishness-ends/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [“Never have I been frightened by circumstances. A little warmth, a little bread, my little ones with me, and life begins, happiness begins.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludmilla-petrushevskaya/never-have-i-been-frightened-by-circumstances-a-little-warmth-a/) [Ludmilla Petrushevskaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludmilla-petrushevskaya/) > [When ambition ends, happiness begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/when-ambition-ends-happiness-begins/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) ## More by Sarah Manguso > [I like people who possess either deep mastery or deep empathy, but not as much as I like those who possess both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/i-like-people-who-possess-either-deep-mastery-or-deep-empathy-but-not/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [The best thing about time passing is the privilege of running out of it, of watching the wave of mortality break over me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/the-best-thing-about-time-passing-is-the-privilege-of-running-out-of/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [“The trouble with comparing yourself to others is that there are too many others. Using all others as your control group, all your worst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/the-trouble-with-comparing-yourself-to-others-is-that-there-are-too/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [“There will come a time when people decide you've had enough of your grief, and they'll try to take it away from you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/there-will-come-a-time-when-people-decide-you-ve-had-enough-of-your/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [“It’s impossible to fail if one doesn’t know how the end should look. And it’s impossible to succeed. But it’s possible to enjoy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/it-s-impossible-to-fail-if-one-doesn-t-know-how-the-end-should-look/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [“I tend to forget that my measurement of time is designed to distract me from what's really happening.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/i-tend-to-forget-that-my-measurement-of-time-is-designed-to-distract/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [My existence shrank from an arrow of light pointing into the future forever to a speck of light that was the present moment. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/my-existence-shrank-from-an-arrow-of-light-pointing-into-the-future/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [“Whatever you're feeling, billions already have. Feel for them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/whatever-you-re-feeling-billions-already-have-feel-for-them/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [“ My friend Isabel says, When you’re writing even a short novel, with at least a couple of subplots, and God only knows how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/my-friend-isabel-says-when-you-re-writing-even-a-short-novel-with-at/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [The only thing I've consistently been interested in in the last twenty-five years is writing very short texts. That continues to interest me as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/the-only-thing-i-ve-consistently-been-interested-in-in-the-last/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [“Like a vase, a heart breaks once. After that, it just yields to its flaws.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/like-a-vase-a-heart-breaks-once-after-that-it-just-yields-to-its-flaws/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [“Death will reveal what you otherwise would have finished. Also what you never would have finished. I found the notes for a book a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/death-will-reveal-what-you-otherwise-would-have-finished-also-what/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [Those who claim to write about something larger and more significant than the self sometimes fail to comprehend the dimensions of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/those-who-claim-to-write-about-something-larger-and-more-significant/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [Look at me, dancing my little dance for a few moments against the background of eternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/look-at-me-dancing-my-little-dance-for-a-few-moments-against-the/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [Chair or no chair: a binary relation. But the vicissitudes of moving the body around are infinite. You never know what a person in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/chair-or-no-chair-a-binary-relation-but-the-vicissitudes-of-moving/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) [Explore all 61 Sarah Manguso quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) ## More Deteriorate quotes > [I have deliberately kept singing because I have to at my age. If I stopped for even a year my voice would slowly deteriorate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-daltrey/i-have-deliberately-kept-singing-because-i-have-to-at-my-age-if-i/) [Roger Daltrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-daltrey/) > [If the use of leisure time is confined to looking at TV for a few extra hours every day, we will deteriorate as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/if-the-use-of-leisure-time-is-confined-to-looking-at-tv-for-a-few/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Love yourself. Love your soul and let go of the past. Past pain is keeping you in pain. You don't have to deteriorate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/love-yourself-love-your-soul-and-let-go-of-the-past-past-pain-is/) [Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/) > [With all of relationships, once a common bond is no longer present, the relationship will tend to deteriorate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-williams/with-all-of-relationships-once-a-common-bond-is-no-longer-present-the/) [Craig Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-williams/) > [You don't need to deteriorate with advancing age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-northrup/you-don-t-need-to-deteriorate-with-advancing-age/) [Christiane Northrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-northrup/) > [We all live inside bodies that will deteriorate. But when you look at human beings, they're capable of very decent things: love, loyalty. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/we-all-live-inside-bodies-that-will-deteriorate-but-when-you-look-at/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [I deteriorate. I might tell you something one day and then something else another day. You fold in on yourself and that's why this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willis-earl-beal/i-deteriorate-i-might-tell-you-something-one-day-and-then-something/) [Willis Earl Beal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willis-earl-beal/) > [“If you deteriorate to a certain point…we should consider placing you on the transplant list.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-brown/if-you-deteriorate-to-a-certain-point-we-should-consider-placing-you/) [Natasha Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-brown/) > [Without such inspiration, we would rapidly deteriorate and finally perish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/without-such-inspiration-we-would-rapidly-deteriorate-and-finally/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Be patient. Your skin took a while to deteriorate. Give it some time to reflect a calmer inner state. As one of my friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-c-scott/be-patient-your-skin-took-a-while-to-deteriorate-give-it-some-time-to/) [Jess C Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-c-scott/) > [I've seen the quality of life deteriorate in New York City; I've seen the crime skyrocket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-malliotakis/i-ve-seen-the-quality-of-life-deteriorate-in-new-york-city-i-ve-seen/) [Nicole Malliotakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-malliotakis/) > [I knew people were going to see me see deteriorate before their eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlen-specter/i-knew-people-were-going-to-see-me-see-deteriorate-before-their-eyes/) [Arlen Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlen-specter/) > [It's hard to see your wife deteriorate in front of your eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-camp/it-s-hard-to-see-your-wife-deteriorate-in-front-of-your-eyes/) [Jeremy Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-camp/) > [All things deteriorate in time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/all-things-deteriorate-in-time/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [Whether I'm reading a national publication or one of my local Chicago newspapers, I don't need to turn too many pages before I stumble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/whether-i-m-reading-a-national-publication-or-one-of-my-local-chicago/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) [Browse all 35 Deteriorate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deteriorate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Happiness begins to deteriorate once it is named.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sarah Manguso" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/happiness-begins-to-deteriorate-once-it-is-named/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Deteriorate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/happiness-begins-to-deteriorate-once-it-is-named/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/sarah-manguso-11172_deteriorate_happiness-begins-to-deteriorate-once-it_2914933.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/sarah-manguso-11172_deteriorate_happiness-begins-to-deteriorate-once-it_2914933.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/sarah-manguso-11172_deteriorate_happiness-begins-to-deteriorate-once-it_2914933.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Happiness begins to deteriorate once it is named.” — Sarah Manguso", "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": "Sarah Manguso", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Happiness begins to deteriorate once it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/happiness-begins-to-deteriorate-once-it-is-named/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/happiness-begins-to-deteriorate-once-it-is-named/#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 } } ] } ```