--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Happiness held is the seed; happiness…" description: "\"Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower. A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery while on a detour. Happiness is a dir..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf6/sydney-j-harris-1578_detours_happiness-held-is-the-seed-happiness-sha_2513458.jpg" --- # Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the… ![“Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower. A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery while on a detour. Happiness is a direction, not a place.” quote by Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf6/sydney-j-harris-1578_detours_happiness-held-is-the-seed-happiness-sha_2513458.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf6/sydney-j-harris-1578_detours_happiness-held-is-the-seed-happiness-sha_2513458.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf6/sydney-j-harris-1578_detours_happiness-held-is-the-seed-happiness-sha_2513458.jpg) > “Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower. A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery while on a detour. Happiness is a direction, not a place.” [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Happiness grows when shared; it is a direction, not a destination, and can be found even on detours. **In simple terms:** Shared happiness is a journey. Key Takeaway Cultivate and share joy. Themes happiness mindfulness perspective Mood uplifting thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - daily gratitude - community service - travel experiences Key Concepts philosophy positive psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you turn setbacks into joy? - What practices keep happiness moving forward? A Different Perspective Happiness can be fleeting without effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Detours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detours/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happy person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-person/) [Scenery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scenery/) [Truly happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truly-happy/) ## Related quotes > [Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happiness-held-is-the-seed-happiness-shared-is-the-flower/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“happiness heldis the seed happiness shared is the flower, happiness seems to be shared”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-racine/happiness-heldis-the-seed-happiness-shared-is-the-flower-happiness/) [Jean Racine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-racine/) > [Happiness held is the beginning; happiness shared is the blossom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-shukla/happiness-held-is-the-beginning-happiness-shared-is-the-blossom/) [Abhishek Shukla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-shukla/) > [Happiness is a direction, not a place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/happiness-is-a-direction-not-a-place/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Happiness is a direction not a person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happiness-is-a-direction-not-a-person/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“And if all could with one voice be asked whether they wished to be happy, there is no doubt they would all answer that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/and-if-all-could-with-one-voice-be-asked-whether-they-wished-to-be/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [Everything is material for the seed of happiness, if you look into it with inquisitiveness and curiosity. The future is completely open, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/everything-is-material-for-the-seed-of-happiness-if-you-look-into-it/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [I think of how each person in a marriage owes it to the other to find individual happiness, even in a shared life. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-think-of-how-each-person-in-a-marriage-owes-it-to-the-other-to-find/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [Happiness seems made to be shared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-corneille/happiness-seems-made-to-be-shared/) [Pierre Corneille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-corneille/) > [“Stories, news, past heartbreak, future happiness, all of these were to be shared by the person at the center of the tale.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-herrick/stories-news-past-heartbreak-future-happiness-all-of-these-were-to-be/) [Ellen Herrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-herrick/) > [Happiness may perhaps be shared. But not luck, sadly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herta-m-ller/happiness-may-perhaps-be-shared-but-not-luck-sadly/) [Herta Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herta-m-ller/) > [“Surprisingly he wasn’t jealous because his brother was kissing the girl he’d loved in high school and had hoped to marry. Instead it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancee-cain/surprisingly-he-wasn-t-jealous-because-his-brother-was-kissing-the/) [Nancee Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancee-cain/) > [ Happiness seems made to be shared. \[Fr., Le bonheur semble fait pour etre partage.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-corneille/happiness-seems-made-to-be-shared-fr-le-bonheur-semble-fait-pour-etre/) [Pierre Corneille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-corneille/) > [Happiness must be shared. Selfishness it its enemy; to make another happy is to be happy one's self. It is quiet, most easily won…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-ogden/happiness-must-be-shared-selfishness-it-its-enemy-to-make-another/) William B. Ogden > [Sometimes you don't have to measure how much time you spent together, but rather the happiness that you both shared.. Never hold on for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-reolope/sometimes-you-don-t-have-to-measure-how-much-time-you-spent-together/) [Janet Reolope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-reolope/) ## More by Sydney J. Harris > [This is a lesson mankind has not yet learned. We identify, and stratify, and treat persons largely on the basis of their accidental (physical)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/this-is-a-lesson-mankind-has-not-yet-learned-we-identify-and-stratify/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Character is something you forge for yourself; temperament is something you are born with and can only slightly modify.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/character-is-something-you-forge-for-yourself-temperament-is/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Middle Age is that perplexing time of life when we hear two voices calling us, one saying, 'Why not?' and the other, 'Why bother?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/middle-age-is-that-perplexing-time-of-life-when-we-hear-two-voices/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [The profound immoralities of our time are cruelty, indifference, injustice and the use of others as means rather than ends in themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/the-profound-immoralities-of-our-time-are-cruelty-indifference/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Marriages we regard as the happiest are those in which each of the partners believes he or she got the best of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/marriages-we-regard-as-the-happiest-are-those-in-which-each-of-the/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [“...it calls for deciding things on their own merit, not because you read it or were told it or grew up believing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/it-calls-for-deciding-things-on-their-own-merit-not-because-you-read/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Ignorance per se is not nearly as dangerous as ignorance of ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/ignorance-per-se-is-not-nearly-as-dangerous-as-ignorance-of-ignorance/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Patriotism is proud of a country's virtues and eager to correct its deficiencies; it also acknowledges the legitimate patriotism of other countries, with their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/patriotism-is-proud-of-a-country-s-virtues-and-eager-to-correct-its/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past, his is also one who is permanently disappointed in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/a-cynic-is-not-merely-one-who-reads-bitter-lessons-from-the-past-his/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Time is love, above all else. It is the most precious commodity in the world and should be lavished on those we care most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/time-is-love-above-all-else-it-is-the-most-precious-commodity-in-the/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Just about the only interruption we don't object to is applause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/just-about-the-only-interruption-we-don-t-object-to-is-applause/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [“The cynic is goodhearted beneath his facade, whereas the sentimentalist is flint-hearted beneath his.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/the-cynic-is-goodhearted-beneath-his-facade-whereas-the/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Any philosophy that can be put in a nutshell belongs there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/any-philosophy-that-can-be-put-in-a-nutshell-belongs-there/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [“Like all persecuted minority groups, they strike back by forming cabals, by “taking over” certain spheres of activity (in the arts, for instance), and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/like-all-persecuted-minority-groups-they-strike-back-by-forming/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Intolerance is the most socially acceptable form of egotism, for it permits us to assume superiority without personal boasting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/intolerance-is-the-most-socially-acceptable-form-of-egotism-for-it/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) [Explore all 226 Sydney J. Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) ## More Detours quotes > [I believe that on any trip to heaven, there are always detours through hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-finney/i-believe-that-on-any-trip-to-heaven-there-are-always-detours-through/) [Richard Finney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-finney/) > [We make a lot of detours, but we're always heading for the same destination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-make-a-lot-of-detours-but-we-re-always-heading-for-the-same/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [And from the moment that I saw you, I knew you was trouble, But I disregarded detour signs, And did not stop til you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/and-from-the-moment-that-i-saw-you-i-knew-you-was-trouble-but-i/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [Punctuation marks are the traffic signals of language: they tell us to slow down, notice this, take a detour, and stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/punctuation-marks-are-the-traffic-signals-of-language-they-tell-us-to/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Ideally a painter (and, generally, an artist) should not become conscious of his insights: without taking the detour through his reflective processes, and incomprehensibly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/ideally-a-painter-and-generally-an-artist-should-not-become-conscious/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [I tell you all this because it's worth recognizing that there is no such thing as an overnight success. You will do well to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/i-tell-you-all-this-because-it-s-worth-recognizing-that-there-is-no/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [It amazes me how easy it is for things to change, how easy it is to start off down the same road you always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/it-amazes-me-how-easy-it-is-for-things-to-change-how-easy-it-is-to/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [There are no choices that are really a detour that will take you far from where you're wanting to be - because your Inner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/there-are-no-choices-that-are-really-a-detour-that-will-take-you-far/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [Obstacles are not opposing you, but merely and gently re-routing you. It is important not to view that which stands in your way as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/obstacles-are-not-opposing-you-but-merely-and-gently-re-routing-you/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [Sometimes -- she knows this from her own life -- to get to the other side, you must travel through grief. No detours are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/sometimes-she-knows-this-from-her-own-life-to-get-to-the-other-side/) [Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/) > [In the armed forces, the chances of success are quite high. That's due to the clarity of the military structure - everything is sketched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdel-fattah-el-sisi/in-the-armed-forces-the-chances-of-success-are-quite-high-that-s-due/) [Abdel Fattah el-Sisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdel-fattah-el-sisi/) > [There are no short cuts, no detours in the Middle East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reuven-rivlin/there-are-no-short-cuts-no-detours-in-the-middle-east/) [Reuven Rivlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reuven-rivlin/) > [I see exercise taking this perverted detour. The original intention of exercise was to heal and maintain health. Now I see it as having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-kest/i-see-exercise-taking-this-perverted-detour-the-original-intention-of/) [Bryan Kest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-kest/) > [I've been lonely for so long. And I've been hurt so deeply. If only I could have met you again a long time ago,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-ve-been-lonely-for-so-long-and-i-ve-been-hurt-so-deeply-if-only-i/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Whenever you notice your thoughts detour into attack mode, say out loud or to yourself: Happiness is a choice I make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/whenever-you-notice-your-thoughts-detour-into-attack-mode-say-out/) [Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/) [Browse all 146 Detours quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detours/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower. A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery while on a detour. Happiness is a direction, not a place.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sydney J. 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