--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Happiness is sorrow; sorrow is happiness…" description: "\"Happiness is sorrow; sorrow is happiness. There is happiness in difficulty; difficulty in happiness. Even though the ways we feel are different, they a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/shunryu-suzuki-1280_buddhist_happiness-is-sorrow-sorrow-is-happiness_847062.png" --- # Happiness is sorrow; sorrow is happiness. There is… ![“Happiness is sorrow; sorrow is happiness. There is happiness in difficulty; difficulty in happiness. Even though the ways we feel are different, they are not really different; in essense they are the same. This is the true understanding transmitted from Buddha to us.” quote by Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/shunryu-suzuki-1280_buddhist_happiness-is-sorrow-sorrow-is-happiness_847062.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/shunryu-suzuki-1280_buddhist_happiness-is-sorrow-sorrow-is-happiness_847062.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/shunryu-suzuki-1280_buddhist_happiness-is-sorrow-sorrow-is-happiness_847062.png) > “Happiness is sorrow; sorrow is happiness. There is happiness in difficulty; difficulty in happiness. Even though the ways we feel are different, they are not really different; in essense they are the same. This is the true understanding transmitted from Buddha to us.” [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Happiness and sorrow are two sides of the same experience; difficulty contains joy and joy contains difficulty, revealing their essential unity. **In simple terms:** Happiness and sorrow are the same at heart. Key Takeaway Recognize the unity of opposites. Themes duality mindfulness spirituality Mood contemplative calm Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - meditation - stressful events - personal growth - grief counseling Key Concepts Zen nondualism interdependence Questions to Reflect On - How can you see joy in a painful moment? - What does this unity mean for your daily challenges? A Different Perspective The concept can be abstract and hard to apply in everyday life. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Buddhist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhist/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/) [True understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-understanding/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) ## Related quotes > [Happiness follows sorrow, sorrow follows happiness, but when one no longer discriminates happiness and sorrow, a good deal and a bad deed, one is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/happiness-follows-sorrow-sorrow-follows-happiness-but-when-one-no/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [ “The only cure \[for envy\] in the case of ordinary men and women is happiness, and the difficulty is that envy is itself a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/the-only-cure-for-envy-in-the-case-of-ordinary-men-and-women-is/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [While experiencing happiness, we have difficulty in being conscious of it. Only when the happiness is past and we look back on it do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/while-experiencing-happiness-we-have-difficulty-in-being-conscious-of/) [Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) > [I was happy, I knew that. While experiencing happiness, we have difficulty in being conscious of it. Only when the happiness is past and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/i-was-happy-i-knew-that-while-experiencing-happiness-we-have/) [Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) > [“Most people who have had a rough background will admit there’s something unsettling about finding happiness after difficulty – that even after we unwrap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-martin/most-people-who-have-had-a-rough-background-will-admit-there-s/) [Sasha Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-martin/) > [For in the sorrow, there is also our happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-in-the-sorrow-there-is-also-our-happiness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is very difficult to pass from pleasure to work. Accordingly more poems have been swallowed up by sorrow than ever happiness caused to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/it-is-very-difficult-to-pass-from-pleasure-to-work-accordingly-more/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [Joy, anger, sorrow, happiness, find no place in that man's breast; for to him all creation is ONE. And all things being thus united…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/joy-anger-sorrow-happiness-find-no-place-in-that-man-s-breast-for-to/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [I think we need to not look at sorrow and happiness as opposites that cannot co-exist. They can and do co-exist. I have preached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-alcorn/i-think-we-need-to-not-look-at-sorrow-and-happiness-as-opposites-that/) [Randy Alcorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-alcorn/) > [Who is there in this world who has never found sorrow? The path of sorrow and happiness is made for everyone. We will share…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/who-is-there-in-this-world-who-has-never-found-sorrow-the-path-of/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [Sometimes in pain we find peace, in tough we find bliss and in sorrow we find happiness, because you know the sky has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaze-olamiday/sometimes-in-pain-we-find-peace-in-tough-we-find-bliss-and-in-sorrow/) [Blaze Olamiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaze-olamiday/) > [“sometimes think that if you recall a situation in which you were really depressed, you feel all the sorrow flooding back when you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sa-larsson/sometimes-think-that-if-you-recall-a-situation-in-which-you-were/) [Åsa Larsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sa-larsson/) > [The difference between shallow happiness and a deep, sustaining joy is sorrow. Happiness lives where sorrow is not. When sorrow arrives, happiness dies. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-difference-between-shallow-happiness-and-a-deep-sustaining-joy-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Empty your own eyes (of tears) May you fill my eyes (instead, with tears).. O my love, if I get your sorrows, I swear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hum-mar-jayenge-i-ll-die/empty-your-own-eyes-of-tears-may-you-fill-my-eyes-instead-with-tears/) Hum Mar Jayenge (I'll Die > [In this world we find that all happiness is followed by misery as its shadow. Life has its shadow, death. They must go together,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/in-this-world-we-find-that-all-happiness-is-followed-by-misery-as-its/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) ## More by Shunryu Suzuki > [The point we emphasize is strong confidence in our original nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/the-point-we-emphasize-is-strong-confidence-in-our-original-nature/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [If you continue this simple practice every day, you will obtain some wonderful power. Before you attain it, it is something wonderful, but after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/if-you-continue-this-simple-practice-every-day-you-will-obtain-some/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [You want to eliminate your evil desires in order to reveal your Buddha nature, but where will you throw them away?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/you-want-to-eliminate-your-evil-desires-in-order-to-reveal-your/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [Ego is a social institution with no physical reality. The ego is simply your symbol of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/ego-is-a-social-institution-with-no-physical-reality-the-ego-is/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [“In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the experts mind, there are few.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/in-the-beginner-s-mind-there-are-many-possibilities-in-the-experts/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [The seed has no idea of being some particular plant, but it has its own form and is in perfect harmony with the ground,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/the-seed-has-no-idea-of-being-some-particular-plant-but-it-has-its/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [Whereever you are, you are one with the clouds and one with the sun and the stars you see. You are one with everything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/whereever-you-are-you-are-one-with-the-clouds-and-one-with-the-sun/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [When we become truly ourselves, we just become a swinging door, and we are purely independent of, and at the same time, dependent upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/when-we-become-truly-ourselves-we-just-become-a-swinging-door-and-we/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [“Zen is not some fancy, special art of living. Our teaching is just to live, always in reality, in its exact sense. To make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/zen-is-not-some-fancy-special-art-of-living-our-teaching-is-just-to/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [So the secret is just to say 'Yes!' and jump off from here. Then there is no problem. It means to be yourself, always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/so-the-secret-is-just-to-say-yes-and-jump-off-from-here-then-there-is/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [Our tendency is to be interested in something that is growing in the garden, not in the bare soil itself. But if you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/our-tendency-is-to-be-interested-in-something-that-is-growing-in-the/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [The world is its own magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/the-world-is-its-own-magic/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [People say that practicing Zen is difficult, but there is a misunderstanding as to why. It is not difficult because it is hard to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/people-say-that-practicing-zen-is-difficult-but-there-is-a/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [Each one of us must make his own true way, and when we do, that way will express the universal way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/each-one-of-us-must-make-his-own-true-way-and-when-we-do-that-way/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [The purpose of our practice is just to be yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/the-purpose-of-our-practice-is-just-to-be-yourself/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) [Explore all 262 Shunryu Suzuki quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) ## More Buddhist quotes > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [One of his students asked Buddha, "Are you the Messiah?" "No," answered Buddha. "Then are you a healer?" "No," Buddha replied. "Then are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/one-of-his-students-asked-buddha-are-you-the-messiah-no-answered/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [For fear of causing terror to living beings, Mahamati, let the Bodhisattva who is disciplining himself to attain compassion, refrain from eating flesh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/for-fear-of-causing-terror-to-living-beings-mahamati-let-the/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Be lamps unto yourselves. Be refuges unto yourselves. Take yourself no external refuge. Hold fast to the truth as a lamp. Hold fast to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/be-lamps-unto-yourselves-be-refuges-unto-yourselves-take-yourself-no/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Humility simply means that you do a great job at everything and it isn't really a big deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/humility-simply-means-that-you-do-a-great-job-at-everything-and-it/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Speak only the speech that neither torments self nor does harm to others. That speech is truly well spoken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/speak-only-the-speech-that-neither-torments-self-nor-does-harm-to/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [I don't look at anything. Every person whether he is Hindu, Muslim or Buddhist, he is my brother, my sister. I think we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/i-don-t-look-at-anything-every-person-whether-he-is-hindu-muslim-or/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [My family is Jewish, Buddhist, Baptist and Catholic. I don't believe in man-made religions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/my-family-is-jewish-buddhist-baptist-and-catholic-i-don-t-believe-in/) [Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/) > [I'm working at trying to be a Christian, and that's serious business. It's like trying to be a good Jew, a good Muslim, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-m-working-at-trying-to-be-a-christian-and-that-s-serious-business/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Buddhist words such as compassion and emptiness don't mean much until we start cultivating our innate ability simply to be there with pain with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/buddhist-words-such-as-compassion-and-emptiness-don-t-mean-much-until/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“Even my Buddhist friends have been feeling despair and when they go bad, you know the end is nigh.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/even-my-buddhist-friends-have-been-feeling-despair-and-when-they-go/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [He who causes suffering shall suffer. There is no escape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/he-who-causes-suffering-shall-suffer-there-is-no-escape/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [“When I think about what it would take to achieve freedom from all psychological stuff, the response that comes is this: life is about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-m-ingram/when-i-think-about-what-it-would-take-to-achieve-freedom-from-all/) [Daniel M. Ingram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-m-ingram/) > [If my happiness at this moment consists largely in reviewing happy memories and expectations, I am but dimly aware of this present. I shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/if-my-happiness-at-this-moment-consists-largely-in-reviewing-happy/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [The Buddha gave his first talks, and three or four ascetics became his first disciples. They recognized his enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-buddha-gave-his-first-talks-and-three-or-four-ascetics-became-his/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) [Browse all 1,479 Buddhist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Happiness is sorrow; sorrow is happiness. There is happiness in difficulty; difficulty in happiness. Even though the ways we feel are different, they are not really different; in essense they are the same. This is the true understanding transmitted from Buddha to us.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shunryu Suzuki" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/happiness-is-sorrow-sorrow-is-happiness-there-is-happiness-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Buddhist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/happiness-is-sorrow-sorrow-is-happiness-there-is-happiness-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/shunryu-suzuki-1280_buddhist_happiness-is-sorrow-sorrow-is-happiness_847062.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/shunryu-suzuki-1280_buddhist_happiness-is-sorrow-sorrow-is-happiness_847062.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/shunryu-suzuki-1280_buddhist_happiness-is-sorrow-sorrow-is-happiness_847062.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Happiness is sorrow; sorrow is happiness. There is happiness in difficulty; difficulty in happiness. Even…” — Shunryu Suzuki", "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": "Shunryu Suzuki", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Happiness is sorrow; sorrow is happiness....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/happiness-is-sorrow-sorrow-is-happiness-there-is-happiness-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/happiness-is-sorrow-sorrow-is-happiness-there-is-happiness-in/#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 } } ] } ```