--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People waste their happiness - that's…" description: "\"People waste their happiness - that's what makes me sad. Everyone's so scared to be happy.\" — Wally Lamb" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8af/wally-lamb-1817_happiness_people-waste-their-happiness-that-s-what_1957897.png" --- # People waste their happiness - that's what makes me sad… ![“People waste their happiness - that's what makes me sad. Everyone's so scared to be happy.” quote by Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8af/wally-lamb-1817_happiness_people-waste-their-happiness-that-s-what_1957897.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8af/wally-lamb-1817_happiness_people-waste-their-happiness-that-s-what_1957897.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8af/wally-lamb-1817_happiness_people-waste-their-happiness-that-s-what_1957897.png) > “People waste their happiness - that's what makes me sad. Everyone's so scared to be happy.” [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Many people hide joy because they fear vulnerability or judgment, leading to personal sadness. **In simple terms:** People fear happiness, causing sadness. Key Takeaway Allow yourself to feel joy openly. Themes vulnerability fear joy Mood reflective melancholic Type advice personal When to use this quote - personal relationships - mental health - self‑acceptance Key Concepts psychology social pressure Questions to Reflect On - What fears stop you from embracing happiness? - How can you create safe spaces for joy? A Different Perspective Happiness can be fleeting if not nurtured. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste/) ## Related quotes > [“That time we separated was my idea. I thought, well, I'm fifty years old and there might be someone else out there. People waste…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/that-time-we-separated-was-my-idea-i-thought-well-i-m-fifty-years-old/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [ Time is given us to be happy and for no other reason \[...\] When we waste time, we waste happiness. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/time-is-given-us-to-be-happy-and-for-no-other-reason-when-we-waste/) [L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) > [“What a waste! What a horrible, senseless waste. When happiness was so wonderful, how could anyone cling to a love that made them unhappy?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-ripley/what-a-waste-what-a-horrible-senseless-waste-when-happiness-was-so/) [Alexandra Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-ripley/) > [“Finny never tells anyone how he is feeling; you just have to know him well enough to understand when he is sad or scared.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-nowlin/finny-never-tells-anyone-how-he-is-feeling-you-just-have-to-know-him/) [Laura Nowlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-nowlin/) > [“In reply to "Why are people at school such d\*cks" Cause they're sad and scared and insecure. Don't let them spread it to you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-stump/in-reply-to-why-are-people-at-school-such-d-cks-cause-they-re-sad-and/) [Patrick Stump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-stump/) > [I have so many feelings, but there aren't enough words to describe them. So I keep saying the same things over and over again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-so-many-feelings-but-there-aren-t-enough-words-to-describe/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Em, we've known each other five or six years now, but two years properly, as, you know, 'friends', which isn't that long but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/em-we-ve-known-each-other-five-or-six-years-now-but-two-years/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [If I don't feel like I'm doing the job well, and I don't know how to get there, or I'm too scared, or whatever,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-seymour-hoffman/if-i-don-t-feel-like-i-m-doing-the-job-well-and-i-don-t-know-how-to/) [Philip Seymour Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-seymour-hoffman/) > [I mean putting yourself out there in the way of overwhelming happiness and knowing you're also putting yourself in the way of terrible harm.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/i-mean-putting-yourself-out-there-in-the-way-of-overwhelming/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [You have to show the character is confused or scared or happy through your voice instead of with your face and body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-king/you-have-to-show-the-character-is-confused-or-scared-or-happy-through/) [Joey King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-king/) > [Here's to the kids who are scared of being happy because every time they're happy, something bad happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/here-s-to-the-kids-who-are-scared-of-being-happy-because-every-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I think you're scared of being happy, Emma. I think you think that the natural way of things is for your life to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/i-think-you-re-scared-of-being-happy-emma-i-think-you-think-that-the/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“I know it's a crock of shit. I ain't offering you happily-ever-after. I'm offering you... happily-maybe-sometimes-ever-after. Sort of. You know, with warts and shit."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/i-know-it-s-a-crock-of-shit-i-ain-t-offering-you-happily-ever-after-i/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“Jack Speight undid me, then I almost undid myself. But I've undone some of the bad, too, some of the damage. With help. With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/jack-speight-undid-me-then-i-almost-undid-myself-but-i-ve-undone-some/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [People waste more time waiting for someone to take charge of their lives than they do in any other pursuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/people-waste-more-time-waiting-for-someone-to-take-charge-of-their/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## More by Wally Lamb > [“Sometimes we want something to be true so badly that we convince ourselves that it is true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/sometimes-we-want-something-to-be-true-so-badly-that-we-convince/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [I like to write first-person because I like to become the character I'm writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/i-like-to-write-first-person-because-i-like-to-become-the-character-i/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [But I think this: that whatever prices I've paid, whatever sorrows I shoulder, well, I have blessings, too. Not just my family now, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/but-i-think-this-that-whatever-prices-i-ve-paid-whatever-sorrows-i/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“why would white dudes want to change things when they held all the cards?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/why-would-white-dudes-want-to-change-things-when-they-held-all-the/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“And in taking on the subject of themselves-making themselves vulnerable to the unseen reader-they have exchanged powerlessness for for the power that comes with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/and-in-taking-on-the-subject-of-themselves-making-themselves/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“People had always amazed him, he began. But they amazed him more since the sickness. For as long as the two of them had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/people-had-always-amazed-him-he-began-but-they-amazed-him-more-since/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“So I got my stuff and the girl at the register puts these other things in my bag, too. Little free samples: gum and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/so-i-got-my-stuff-and-the-girl-at-the-register-puts-these-other/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [What if I don’t like adventure? Then cultivate a taste for it. Take a chance. That’s how you grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/what-if-i-don-t-like-adventure-then-cultivate-a-taste-for-it-take-a/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“Guess what?' I said. 'I have a psychic.' His head tilted questioningly, birdlike. A sidekick?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/guess-what-i-said-i-have-a-psychic-his-head-tilted-questioningly/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [The evidence of God exists in the roundness of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/the-evidence-of-god-exists-in-the-roundness-of-things/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [Life is a whoopee cushion, a chair pulled away just as you were taking a seat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/life-is-a-whoopee-cushion-a-chair-pulled-away-just-as-you-were-taking/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“What I remembered about those seesaw rides was the way Thomas would get mad at me, midride, and evacuate. Send me crashing back down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/what-i-remembered-about-those-seesaw-rides-was-the-way-thomas-would/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“I didn't respond to him. Couldn't speak at all. Couldn't look at his self-mutilation--not even the clean, bandaged version of it. Instead, I looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/i-didn-t-respond-to-him-couldn-t-speak-at-all-couldn-t-look-at-his/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [I write to find out what the story means to me, that is what I try to do especially with the first draft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/i-write-to-find-out-what-the-story-means-to-me-that-is-what-i-try-to/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“As anxious and limited as that love might have been, it had been love nonetheless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/as-anxious-and-limited-as-that-love-might-have-been-it-had-been-love/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) [Explore all 204 Wally Lamb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) ## More Happiness quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/) [MARVIN J. ASHTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [The happy have whole days,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colley-cibber/the-happy-have-whole-days/) [Colley Cibber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colley-cibber/) > [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/) > [I've got nothing to do today but smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-got-nothing-to-do-today-but-smile/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Positive thinking evokes more energy, more initiative, more happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/positive-thinking-evokes-more-energy-more-initiative-more-happiness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) Pancho Barnes [Browse all 40,288 Happiness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People waste their happiness - that's what makes me sad. 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