--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A pleasure that is ephemeral brings no…" description: "\"“A pleasure that is ephemeral brings no true satisfaction to any man. How miserable must be the lives of those folk who labor so hard for something tha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ca/seneca-956_ephemeral_a-pleasure-that-is-ephemeral-brings-no-t_2377267.jpg" --- # A pleasure that is ephemeral brings no true satisfaction… ![“A pleasure that is ephemeral brings no true satisfaction to any man. How miserable must be the lives of those folk who labor so hard for something that once gained they must work even harder to keep. They” quote by Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ca/seneca-956_ephemeral_a-pleasure-that-is-ephemeral-brings-no-t_2377267.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ca/seneca-956_ephemeral_a-pleasure-that-is-ephemeral-brings-no-t_2377267.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ca/seneca-956_ephemeral_a-pleasure-that-is-ephemeral-brings-no-t_2377267.jpg) > ““A pleasure that is ephemeral brings no true satisfaction to any man. How miserable must be the lives of those folk who labor so hard for something that once gained they must work even harder to keep. They”” [Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Temporary pleasures fail to fulfill lasting happiness; striving for fleeting gains leads to endless toil and dissatisfaction. **In simple terms:** Short‑term pleasure isn’t lasting happiness. Key Takeaway Seek lasting fulfillment over fleeting joy. Themes happiness contentment effort transience Mood reflective serious Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career ambition - consumerism - relationship expectations - addiction recovery Key Concepts Stoicism hedonism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What lasting values guide your choices? - How do you differentiate true fulfillment from temporary pleasure? A Different Perspective Even lasting pleasures can become sources of anxiety if not balanced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ephemeral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ephemeral/) [Miserable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miserable/) ## Related quotes > [There's a lot of people out there who are just miserable in their own lives, I guess, and just trying to make other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-owens/there-s-a-lot-of-people-out-there-who-are-just-miserable-in-their-own/) [Kevin Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-owens/) > [But I think the majority of cows, and even more so chickens and pigs, are leading pretty miserable lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/but-i-think-the-majority-of-cows-and-even-more-so-chickens-and-pigs/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Man is never less miserable than when he appears to be deprived of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/man-is-never-less-miserable-than-when-he-appears-to-be-deprived-of/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [No God can put a man in hell in another world, who has made a little heaven in this. God cannot make a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/no-god-can-put-a-man-in-hell-in-another-world-who-has-made-a-little/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [It is the working man who is the happy man. It is the idle man who is the miserable man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/it-is-the-working-man-who-is-the-happy-man-it-is-the-idle-man-who-is/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [No thoroughly occupied man was ever yet very miserable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letitia-elizabeth-landon/no-thoroughly-occupied-man-was-ever-yet-very-miserable/) [Letitia Elizabeth Landon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letitia-elizabeth-landon/) > [“Of all the people in the world who have miserable lives - and, as I'm sure you know, there are quite a few -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemony-snicket/of-all-the-people-in-the-world-who-have-miserable-lives-and-as-i-m/) [Lemony Snicket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemony-snicket/) > [Human beings have not struggled for survival over millions of years for us to just turn around and start being miserable with our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/human-beings-have-not-struggled-for-survival-over-millions-of-years/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Please ,Stop Isolating Yourself and Feeling Miserable...your lives are no less than of the poor”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahime-rayan/please-stop-isolating-yourself-and-feeling-miserable-your-lives-are/) Rahime Rayan > [They can say what they want but they had to take time out of their miserable lives to thinkk about. Positive or Megative your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-can-say-what-they-want-but-they-had-to-take-time-out-of-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Is in the drivers seat of my own life but knows that people who lead miserable lives, like to make others miserable too, don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/is-in-the-drivers-seat-of-my-own-life-but-knows-that-people-who-lead/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [“Love is nothing but a lie to make our miserable lives interesting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerem-zdo-ru/love-is-nothing-but-a-lie-to-make-our-miserable-lives-interesting/) Kerem Özdoğru > [“We should seek improvements in life and not pretend to be satisfied with our miserable lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/we-should-seek-improvements-in-life-and-not-pretend-to-be-satisfied/) [Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/) > [People are living such miserable lives economically. They want the escape. They want the fantasy. They'd love the dream of being king for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-leach/people-are-living-such-miserable-lives-economically-they-want-the/) [Robin Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-leach/) > [“Too many people live miserable lives, but they don’t do anything to change them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-hachey/too-many-people-live-miserable-lives-but-they-don-t-do-anything-to/) Denis Hachey ## More by Seneca > [“You should, I need hardly say, live in such a way that there is nothing which you could not as easily tell your enemy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca/you-should-i-need-hardly-say-live-in-such-a-way-that-there-is-nothing/) [Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca/) > [“The difficulty comes from our lack of confidence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca/the-difficulty-comes-from-our-lack-of-confidence/) [Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca/) > [Fate leads the willing and drags along the unwilling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca/fate-leads-the-willing-and-drags-along-the-unwilling/) [Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca/) > [“the wise man is self-sufficient, that he can do without friends, not that he desires to do without them. When I say "can," I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca/the-wise-man-is-self-sufficient-that-he-can-do-without-friends-not/) [Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca/) > [“This, I say, is the highest duty and the highest proof of wisdom, – that deed and word should be in accord, that”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca/this-i-say-is-the-highest-duty-and-the-highest-proof-of-wisdom-that/) [Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca/) > [“But both courses are to be avoided; you should not copy the bad simply because they are many, nor should you hate the many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca/but-both-courses-are-to-be-avoided-you-should-not-copy-the-bad-simply/) [Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca/) > [“Virtue alone affords everlasting and peace-giving joy; even if some obstacle arise, it is but like an intervening cloud, which floats beneath the sun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca/virtue-alone-affords-everlasting-and-peace-giving-joy-even-if-some/) [Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca/) > [“I’ve come across people who say that there is a sort of inborn restlessness in the human spirit and an urge to change one’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca/i-ve-come-across-people-who-say-that-there-is-a-sort-of-inborn/) [Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca/) > [“Withdraw into yourself, as far as you can. Associate with those who will make a better man of you. Welcome those whom you yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca/withdraw-into-yourself-as-far-as-you-can-associate-with-those-who/) [Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca/) > [Economy is too late at the bottom of the purse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca/economy-is-too-late-at-the-bottom-of-the-purse/) [Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca/) > [“On Epicurus; He says: "Contended poverty is an honourable estate." Indeed, if it is contented, it is not poverty at all. It is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca/on-epicurus-he-says-contended-poverty-is-an-honourable-estate-indeed/) [Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca/) > [“...certain people have good, ordinary blood and others have an animated, lively sort of blood that comes to the face quickly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca/certain-people-have-good-ordinary-blood-and-others-have-an-animated/) [Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca/) > [“we perish because we follow other men's examples: we should be cured of this if we were to disengage ourselves from the herd;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca/we-perish-because-we-follow-other-men-s-examples-we-should-be-cured/) [Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca/) > [“they Whatever can make life truly happy is absolutely good in its own right because it cannot be warped into evil From whence then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca/they-whatever-can-make-life-truly-happy-is-absolutely-good-in-its-own/) [Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca/) > [“And when the soul has yielded to pleasure, its functions and actions grow weak, and any undertaking comes from a nerveless and unsteady source.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca/and-when-the-soul-has-yielded-to-pleasure-its-functions-and-actions/) [Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca/) [Explore all 286 Seneca quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca/) ## More Ephemeral quotes > [An artist's creative energy is ephemeral as a flower. It blooms and soon dies. No artist is great forever. Personally, I think I reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ki-duk/an-artist-s-creative-energy-is-ephemeral-as-a-flower-it-blooms-and/) [Kim Ki-duk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ki-duk/) > [I believe in good. It is an ephemeral and elusive quality. It is the center of my beliefs, but it cannot be strengthened by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/i-believe-in-good-it-is-an-ephemeral-and-elusive-quality-it-is-the/) [Edward Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/) > [“I guess I always knew that our time together would be fleeting. Ephemeral.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-hand/i-guess-i-always-knew-that-our-time-together-would-be-fleeting/) [Cynthia Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-hand/) > [I'm very blessed, mainly because even though my family is mostly in show business, it's really centered around music. My parents were very successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/i-m-very-blessed-mainly-because-even-though-my-family-is-mostly-in/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [The images of peace are ephemeral. The language of peace is subtle. The reasons for peace, the definitions of peace, the very idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxine-hong-kingston/the-images-of-peace-are-ephemeral-the-language-of-peace-is-subtle-the/) [Maxine Hong Kingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxine-hong-kingston/) > [On the whole, mental archaeology was a sordid digging proposition. The evil men did endured, the good was infinitely more ephemeral. You could generally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-kieran-reilly/on-the-whole-mental-archaeology-was-a-sordid-digging-proposition-the/) [Helen Kieran Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-kieran-reilly/) > [As for theatre, there's ups and downs to everything. Theatre is ephemeral. But that is part of its charm because you can always say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/as-for-theatre-there-s-ups-and-downs-to-everything-theatre-is/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [Success is very ephemeral. You depend entirely on the desire of others, which makes it difficult to relax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-green/success-is-very-ephemeral-you-depend-entirely-on-the-desire-of-others/) [Eva Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-green/) > [“The past was a lie, memory has no return, every spring gone by could never be recovered, and the wildest and most tenacious love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/the-past-was-a-lie-memory-has-no-return-every-spring-gone-by-could/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [Time and fevers burn away Individual beauty from Thoughtful children, and the grave Proves the child ephemeral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/time-and-fevers-burn-away-individual-beauty-from-thoughtful-children/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [Pleasure to me is wonder—the unexplored, the unexpected, the thing that is hidden and the changeless thing that lurks behind superficial mutability. To trace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/pleasure-to-me-is-wonder-the-unexplored-the-unexpected-the-thing-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I really worry about these political people that have no personal life. If there's nothing that's lovely, and if there's nothing that's just ephemeral,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-really-worry-about-these-political-people-that-have-no-personal/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [We now demand the light artillery of the intellect; we need the curt, the condensed, the pointed, the readily diffused -- in place of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/we-now-demand-the-light-artillery-of-the-intellect-we-need-the-curt/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [The lifetime of a human being is measured by decades, the lifetime of the Sun is a hundred million times longer. Compared to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-lifetime-of-a-human-being-is-measured-by-decades-the-lifetime-of/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [In the theater, everything is ephemeral. Everything is almost weightless and without a very clear definition of how you made it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-vinoly/in-the-theater-everything-is-ephemeral-everything-is-almost/) [Rafael Vinoly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-vinoly/) [Browse all 267 Ephemeral quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ephemeral/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A pleasure that is ephemeral brings no true satisfaction to any man. How miserable must be the lives of those folk who labor so hard for something that once gained they must work even harder to keep. 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