--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Perfect Joy (excerpts) Is there to be…" description: "\"“Perfect Joy (excerpts) Is there to be found on earth a fullness of joy, or is there no such thing? . . . What the world values is money, reputation, l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e97/thomas-merton-231_early-death_perfect-joy-excerpts-is-there-to-be-foun_1318075.jpg" --- # Perfect Joy (excerpts) Is there to be found on earth a… ![“Perfect Joy (excerpts) Is there to be found on earth a fullness of joy, or is there no such thing? . . . What the world values is money, reputation, long life, achievement. What it counts as joy is health and comfort of body, good food, fine clothes, beautiful things to look at, pleasant music to…” quote by Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e97/thomas-merton-231_early-death_perfect-joy-excerpts-is-there-to-be-foun_1318075.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e97/thomas-merton-231_early-death_perfect-joy-excerpts-is-there-to-be-foun_1318075.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e97/thomas-merton-231_early-death_perfect-joy-excerpts-is-there-to-be-foun_1318075.jpg) > ““Perfect Joy (excerpts) Is there to be found on earth a fullness of joy, or is there no such thing? . . . What the world values is money, reputation, long life, achievement. What it counts as joy is health and comfort of body, good food, fine clothes, beautiful things to look at, pleasant music to listen to. What it condemns is lack of money, a low social rank, a reputation for being no good, and an early death. What it considers misfortune is bodily discomfort and labour, no chance to get your fill of good food, not having good clothes to wear, having no way to amuse or delight the eye, no pleasant music to listen to. If people find that they are deprived of these things, they go into a panic or fall into despair. They are so concerned for their life that their anxiety makes life unbearable, even when they have the things they think they want. Their very concern for enjoyment makes them unhappy. . . . I cannot tell if what the world considers "happiness" is happiness or not. All I know is that when I consider the way they go about attaining it, I see them carried away headlong, grim and obsessed, in the general onrush of the human herd, unable to stop themselves or to change their direction. All the while they claim to be just on the point of attaining happiness. . . . My opinion is that you never find happiness until you stop looking for it. My greatest happiness consists precisely in doing nothing whatever that is calculated to obtain happiness: and this, in the minds of most people, is the worst possible course. I will hold to the saying that:"Perfect Joy is to be without joy. Perfect praise is to be without praise." If you ask "what ought to be done" and "what ought not to be done" on earth in order to produce happiness, I answer that these questions do not have an answer. There is no way of determining such things. Yet at the same time, if I cease striving for happiness, the "right" and the "wrong" at once become apparent all by themselves. Contentment and well-being at once become possible the moment you cease to act with them in view, and if you practice non-doing (wu wei), you will have both happiness and well-being. Here is how I sum it up: Heaven does nothing: its non-doing is its serenity. Earth does nothing: its non-doing is its rest. From the union of these two non-doings All actions proceed, All things are made. How vast, how invisible This coming-to-be! All things come from nowhere! How vast, how invisible - No way to explain it! All beings in their perfection Are born of non-doing. Hence it is said: "Heaven and earth do nothing Yet there is nothing they do not do." Where is the man who can attain To this non-doing?”” [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True happiness is not found by chasing external comforts; it arises when we release the pursuit and accept simplicity, allowing contentment to emerge naturally. **In simple terms:** Happiness comes when we stop trying so get it. Key Takeaway Let go of striving for happiness to find it. Themes spirituality contentment nonattachment inner peace philosophy Mood calm contemplative hopeful Type philosophical spiritual inspirational When to use this quote - personal meditation - daily life - stress relief - mental health - spiritual practice Key Concepts Detachment mindfulness existential inquiry paradox of desire Questions to Reflect On - What does “stop looking for happiness” mean in daily life? - How can one balance ambition with contentment? A Different Perspective The advice may feel impractical in societies that reward achievement and material success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attaining happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attaining-happiness/) [Contentment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contentment/) [Early death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early-death/) [Good food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-food/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Heaven and earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven-and-earth/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Long life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-life/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) ## Related quotes > [I cannot tell if what the world considers ‘happiness’ is happiness or not. 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What the world values is money, reputation, long life, achievement. What it counts as joy is health and comfort of body, good food, fine clothes, beautiful things to look at, pleasant music to listen to. What it condemns is lack of money, a low social rank, a reputation for being no good, and an early death. What it considers misfortune is bodily discomfort and labour, no chance to get your fill of good food, not having good clothes to wear, having no way to amuse or delight the eye, no pleasant music to listen to. If people find that they are deprived of these things, they go into a panic or fall into despair. They are so concerned for their life that their anxiety makes life unbearable, even when they have the things they think they want. Their very concern for enjoyment makes them unhappy. . . . I cannot tell if what the world considers \"happiness\" is happiness or not. All I know is that when I consider the way they go about attaining it, I see them carried away headlong, grim and obsessed, in the general onrush of the human herd, unable to stop themselves or to change their direction. All the while they claim to be just on the point of attaining happiness. . . . My opinion is that you never find happiness until you stop looking for it. My greatest happiness consists precisely in doing nothing whatever that is calculated to obtain happiness: and this, in the minds of most people, is the worst possible course. I will hold to the saying that:\"Perfect Joy is to be without joy. Perfect praise is to be without praise.\" If you ask \"what ought to be done\" and \"what ought not to be done\" on earth in order to produce happiness, I answer that these questions do not have an answer. There is no way of determining such things. Yet at the same time, if I cease striving for happiness, the \"right\" and the \"wrong\" at once become apparent all by themselves. Contentment and well-being at once become possible the moment you cease to act with them in view, and if you practice non-doing (wu wei), you will have both happiness and well-being. Here is how I sum it up: Heaven does nothing: its non-doing is its serenity. Earth does nothing: its non-doing is its rest. From the union of these two non-doings All actions proceed, All things are made. How vast, how invisible This coming-to-be! All things come from nowhere! How vast, how invisible - No way to explain it! All beings in their perfection Are born of non-doing. Hence it is said: \"Heaven and earth do nothing Yet there is nothing they do not do.\" Where is the man who can attain To this non-doing?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Merton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/perfect-joy-excerpts-is-there-to-be-found-on-earth-a-fullness-of-joy/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attaining happiness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/perfect-joy-excerpts-is-there-to-be-found-on-earth-a-fullness-of-joy/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e97/thomas-merton-231_early-death_perfect-joy-excerpts-is-there-to-be-foun_1318075.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e97/thomas-merton-231_early-death_perfect-joy-excerpts-is-there-to-be-foun_1318075.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e97/thomas-merton-231_early-death_perfect-joy-excerpts-is-there-to-be-foun_1318075.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Perfect Joy (excerpts) Is there to be found on earth a fullness of joy, or is there no such thing?…” — Thomas Merton", "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": "Thomas Merton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Perfect Joy (excerpts) Is there to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/perfect-joy-excerpts-is-there-to-be-found-on-earth-a-fullness-of-joy/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/perfect-joy-excerpts-is-there-to-be-found-on-earth-a-fullness-of-joy/#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 } } ] } ```