--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Perfect happiness is the privilege of…" description: "\"“Perfect happiness is the privilege of deciding when things end. But then you have to find a new happiness.”\" — Sarah Manguso" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11b/sarah-manguso-11172_happiness_perfect-happiness-is-the-privilege-of-de_2180713.jpg" --- # Perfect happiness is the privilege of deciding when things… ![“Perfect happiness is the privilege of deciding when things end. But then you have to find a new happiness.” quote by Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11b/sarah-manguso-11172_happiness_perfect-happiness-is-the-privilege-of-de_2180713.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11b/sarah-manguso-11172_happiness_perfect-happiness-is-the-privilege-of-de_2180713.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11b/sarah-manguso-11172_happiness_perfect-happiness-is-the-privilege-of-de_2180713.jpg) > ““Perfect happiness is the privilege of deciding when things end. But then you have to find a new happiness.”” [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. Happiness is a choice that ends, so one must create new sources of joy after each ending. **In simple terms:** Happiness ends, create new joy. Key Takeaway Embrace change and seek new happiness. Themes change resilience joy Mood reflective motivational Type philosophical self‑help When to use this quote - career transitions - relationship breakups - loss of a hobby - life milestones Key Concepts impermanence choice renewal Questions to Reflect On - How do you discover authentic joy after loss? - What practices help you transition between happiness phases? A Different Perspective New happiness may feel forced if not authentic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happiness Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-privilege-4244894/) [New Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-happiness-1228243/) [Perfect happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect-happiness/) [Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege/) [Things End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-end/) ## Related quotes > [Happiness is a privilege.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/happiness-is-a-privilege/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Happiness is a privilege, not a right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-williams/happiness-is-a-privilege-not-a-right/) [Taylor Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-williams/) > [What greater happiness is there than the privilege of being bored together?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/what-greater-happiness-is-there-than-the-privilege-of-being-bored/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [There isn't a new sorrow in the world -- they're all old ones -- but we can all find new happiness if we look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myrtle-reed/there-isn-t-a-new-sorrow-in-the-world-they-re-all-old-ones-but-we-can/) [Myrtle Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myrtle-reed/) > [“You Norah, are going to be alright. You are going to find a new life, and a new happiness, without me. This is your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-richardson/you-norah-are-going-to-be-alright-you-are-going-to-find-a-new-life/) [Angela Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-richardson/) > [“This new happiness had angles. Happiness like his was real; it had a jewel-cut shadow, and he could lose it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-russell/this-new-happiness-had-angles-happiness-like-his-was-real-it-had-a/) [Karen Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-russell/) > [You'll just accept that you already move on, When you found the new happiness to someone you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janethnipay/you-ll-just-accept-that-you-already-move-on-when-you-found-the-new/) [Janethnipay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janethnipay/) > [New happiness too must be learned to bear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/new-happiness-too-must-be-learned-to-bear/) [Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/) > [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/) > [In all human love it must be realized that every man promises a woman, and every woman promises a man that which only God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/in-all-human-love-it-must-be-realized-that-every-man-promises-a-woman/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [Some days the mere fact of seeing feels like perfect happiness... You feel so rich you long to share your jubilation with others. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-doisneau/some-days-the-mere-fact-of-seeing-feels-like-perfect-happiness-you/) [Robert Doisneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-doisneau/) > [Life is too short, grudges are a waste of perfect happiness, laugh when you can, apologize when you should and let go of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-too-short-grudges-are-a-waste-of-perfect-happiness-laugh-when/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [So endless and exorbitant are the desires of men that they will grasp at all, and can form no scheme of perfect happiness with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/so-endless-and-exorbitant-are-the-desires-of-men-that-they-will-grasp/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [“The most perfect happiness, surely, must arise from the contemplation of the most perfect object.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-most-perfect-happiness-surely-must-arise-from-the-contemplation/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [“Perfect happiness existed, but perhaps only in small increments.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elin-hilderbrand/perfect-happiness-existed-but-perhaps-only-in-small-increments/) [Elin Hilderbrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elin-hilderbrand/) ## 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 Happiness quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/) [MARVIN J. ASHTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [The happy have whole days,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colley-cibber/the-happy-have-whole-days/) [Colley Cibber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colley-cibber/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [I've got nothing to do today but smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-got-nothing-to-do-today-but-smile/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [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/) > [Positive thinking evokes more energy, more initiative, more happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/positive-thinking-evokes-more-energy-more-initiative-more-happiness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) [Pancho Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pancho-barnes/) [Browse all 40,288 Happiness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Perfect happiness is the privilege of deciding when things end. 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