--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At the root of all misery is unfulfilled…" description: "\"At the root of all misery is unfulfilled desire.\" — Scott Hahn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c0/scott-hahn-12262_desire_at-the-root-of-all-misery-is-unfulfilled_1122903.jpg" --- # At the root of all misery is unfulfilled desire. ![“At the root of all misery is unfulfilled desire.” quote by Scott Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c0/scott-hahn-12262_desire_at-the-root-of-all-misery-is-unfulfilled_1122903.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c0/scott-hahn-12262_desire_at-the-root-of-all-misery-is-unfulfilled_1122903.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c0/scott-hahn-12262_desire_at-the-root-of-all-misery-is-unfulfilled_1122903.jpg) > “At the root of all misery is unfulfilled desire.” [Scott Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-hahn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unmet desire leads to suffering, as longing without fulfillment creates pain. **In simple terms:** Unfulfilled desire causes misery. Key Takeaway Address core desires to reduce suffering. Themes desire misery fulfillment Mood reflective somber Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal relationships - goal setting - mental health - spiritual practice Key Concepts psychology human nature Questions to Reflect On - What desire drives your discontent? - How can you responsibly fulfill it? A Different Perspective Desire may be suppressed by external constraints, limiting relief. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Misery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misery/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) ## Related quotes > [“There wasn't a cloud in my mind, nor did I feel any discomfort, and I hadn't a single unfulfilled desire or craving as far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knut-hamsun/there-wasn-t-a-cloud-in-my-mind-nor-did-i-feel-any-discomfort-and-i/) [Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/) > [Art is a part of the rebellion against the realities of its unfulfilled desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/art-is-a-part-of-the-rebellion-against-the-realities-of-its/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [One person simply can’t be all things to another person – sexually or otherwise—and unmet needs, unfulfilled desire, and unexplored possibilities are prices we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/one-person-simply-can-t-be-all-things-to-another-person-sexually-or/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [“Few things are as painful as the unfulfilled desire to be near to another you love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-lee-dennis/few-things-are-as-painful-as-the-unfulfilled-desire-to-be-near-to/) [Sandra Lee Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-lee-dennis/) > [If I stayed here, something inside me would be lost forever—something I couldn't afford to lose. 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You can be in this business a long time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/as-an-actor-you-just-want-to-continue-to-work-on-things-that-you-like/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) ## More by Scott Hahn > [To go to Mass is to go to Heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hahn/to-go-to-mass-is-to-go-to-heaven/) [Scott Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-hahn/) > [“Remember that Israel's tradition always had men worshiping in imitation of angels. Now, as Revelation shows, both heaven and earth participate together in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hahn/remember-that-israel-s-tradition-always-had-men-worshiping-in/) [Scott Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-hahn/) > [The laws of God, like the law of gravity, do not depend upon how I feel about them. They are inexorable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hahn/the-laws-of-god-like-the-law-of-gravity-do-not-depend-upon-how-i-feel/) [Scott Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-hahn/) > [ I was steeped in the understanding that if 'something is Roman \[Catholic\], it must be wrong. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hahn/i-was-steeped-in-the-understanding-that-if-something-is-roman/) [Scott Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-hahn/) > [“The fact is, there can be no true evangelization without the Eucharist. It’s not simply that the Eucharist is the context in which evangelization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hahn/the-fact-is-there-can-be-no-true-evangelization-without-the-eucharist/) [Scott Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-hahn/) > [The Mass-and I mean every single Mass-is heaven on earth. 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Can you imagine him being offended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hahn/mary-is-god-s-masterpiece-have-you-ever-walked-into-a-museum-where-an/) [Scott Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-hahn/) [Explore all 55 Scott Hahn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-hahn/) ## More Desire quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/) [John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/) > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [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/) > [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“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 discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/) [Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/) [Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "At the root of all misery is unfulfilled desire.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Scott Hahn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hahn/at-the-root-of-all-misery-is-unfulfilled-desire/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Desire" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hahn/at-the-root-of-all-misery-is-unfulfilled-desire/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c0/scott-hahn-12262_desire_at-the-root-of-all-misery-is-unfulfilled_1122903.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c0/scott-hahn-12262_desire_at-the-root-of-all-misery-is-unfulfilled_1122903.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c0/scott-hahn-12262_desire_at-the-root-of-all-misery-is-unfulfilled_1122903.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“At the root of all misery is unfulfilled desire.” — Scott Hahn", "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": "Scott Hahn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-hahn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "At the root of all misery...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hahn/at-the-root-of-all-misery-is-unfulfilled-desire/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hahn/at-the-root-of-all-misery-is-unfulfilled-desire/#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 } } ] } ```