--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is an indescribable something that…" description: "\"There is an indescribable something that ties us to life. For this purpose, it is not necessary that we should be happy. Though our life be almost with..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb9/william-godwin-1978_enjoyment_there-is-an-indescribable-something-that_281747.png" --- # There is an indescribable something that ties us to life… ![“There is an indescribable something that ties us to life. For this purpose, it is not necessary that we should be happy. Though our life be almost without enjoyment, we do not consent to part with it.” quote by William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb9/william-godwin-1978_enjoyment_there-is-an-indescribable-something-that_281747.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb9/william-godwin-1978_enjoyment_there-is-an-indescribable-something-that_281747.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb9/william-godwin-1978_enjoyment_there-is-an-indescribable-something-that_281747.png) > “There is an indescribable something that ties us to life. For this purpose, it is not necessary that we should be happy. Though our life be almost without enjoyment, we do not consent to part with it.” [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life’s value persists even without happiness; we should not abandon existence despite suffering. **In simple terms:** Life is worth living even when joy is scarce. Key Takeaway Embrace existence despite lack of pleasure. Themes existence philosophy resilience Mood reflective somber Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - terminal illness - loneliness - existential crisis Key Concepts meaning of life acceptance of suffering Questions to Reflect On - What gives life meaning beyond happiness? - How can one find purpose in suffering? A Different Perspective Ignoring the importance of happiness can lead to nihilism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enjoyment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoyment/) [Enjoyment Consent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoyment-consent-2731257/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Enjoyment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-enjoyment-2095460/) [Life purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-purpose/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Purpose Necessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose-necessary-2618356/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/) ## Related quotes > [The more I'm committed to finding a way to genuinely be immersed in someone else's life, the more enjoyment there is in it. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-friend/the-more-i-m-committed-to-finding-a-way-to-genuinely-be-immersed-in/) [Rupert Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-friend/) > [Firmness of purpose is one of the most necessary sinews of character, and one of the best instruments of success. Without it, genius wastes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/firmness-of-purpose-is-one-of-the-most-necessary-sinews-of-character/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“What we often fail to grasp is that “purpose” is as necessary in physical fitness as it is in every other activity of life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-amerland/what-we-often-fail-to-grasp-is-that-purpose-is-as-necessary-in/) [David Amerland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-amerland/) > [It is (our) duty . . . to pay especial attention to the principles of government which shall be inculcated therein (at the University),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/it-is-our-duty-to-pay-especial-attention-to-the-principles-of/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Purpose is not necessary to make a building beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/purpose-is-not-necessary-to-make-a-building-beautiful/) [Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/) > [Somehow I am necessary for God's purpose, as necessary in my place as an archangel in his.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henry-newman/somehow-i-am-necessary-for-god-s-purpose-as-necessary-in-my-place-as/) [John Henry Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henry-newman/) > [“An active life serves the purpose of giving man the opportunity to realize values in creative work, while a passive life of enjoyment affords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/an-active-life-serves-the-purpose-of-giving-man-the-opportunity-to/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [Simply to have all the necessities of life and three meals a day will not bring happiness. Happiness is hidden in the unnecessary and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-hays/simply-to-have-all-the-necessities-of-life-and-three-meals-a-day-will-2/) [Edward M Hays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-hays/) > [It is not wrong to want to live better; what is wrong is a style of life which is presumed to be better when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-i/it-is-not-wrong-to-want-to-live-better-what-is-wrong-is-a-style-of/) [Pope John Paul I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-i/) > [Happiness, like air and water, the other two great requisites of life, is composite. One kind of it suits one man, another kind another.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-savage-landor/happiness-like-air-and-water-the-other-two-great-requisites-of-life/) [Walter Savage Landor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-savage-landor/) > [“If there's no challenge in your life, then there's no enjoyment in your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-tian-ph-d/if-there-s-no-challenge-in-your-life-then-there-s-no-enjoyment-in/) [David Tian Ph.D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-tian-ph-d/) > [If only I had more money is the easiest way to postpone the intense self-examination and decision-making necessary to create a life of enjoyment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/if-only-i-had-more-money-is-the-easiest-way-to-postpone-the-intense/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) > [Life is the enjoyment of emotion, derived from the past and aimed at the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/life-is-the-enjoyment-of-emotion-derived-from-the-past-and-aimed-at/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [Part of life and part of the enjoyment of life is a croissant and a chocolate cake and eggs and milkshakes and oatmeal. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-dobrev/part-of-life-and-part-of-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-a-croissant-and-a/) [Nina Dobrev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-dobrev/) > [“...if you identify life with enjoyment I am told there is better brand of it in the cities than in the country parts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/if-you-identify-life-with-enjoyment-i-am-told-there-is-better-brand/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) ## More by William Godwin > [I know nothing worth the living for but usefulness and the service of my fellow-creatures. The only object I pursue is to increase, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/i-know-nothing-worth-the-living-for-but-usefulness-and-the-service-of/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [He that loves reading has everything within his reach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/he-that-loves-reading-has-everything-within-his-reach/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [There must be room for the imagination to exercise its powers; we must conceive and apprehend a thousand things which we do not actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/there-must-be-room-for-the-imagination-to-exercise-its-powers-we-must/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [In infamy, it is wisely provided that he who stands highest in the ranks of society has the heaviest load to sustain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/in-infamy-it-is-wisely-provided-that-he-who-stands-highest-in-the/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [No man knows the value of innocence and integrity but he who has lost them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/no-man-knows-the-value-of-innocence-and-integrity-but-he-who-has-lost/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [Study with desire is real activity; without desire it is but the semblance and mockery of activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/study-with-desire-is-real-activity-without-desire-it-is-but-the/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [“Godwin on Fenelon and his Valet \* Following is an excerpt from William Godwin's Enquiry Concerning Political Justice, Book II, Chapter II: “Of Justice”:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/godwin-on-fenelon-and-his-valet-following-is-an-excerpt-from-william/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [Tenderness is the name for a lover's most exquisite sensation; protection is implied in his most generous and heart-thrilling impulse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/tenderness-is-the-name-for-a-lover-s-most-exquisite-sensation/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [Whenever government assumes to deliver us from the trouble of thinking for ourselves, the only consequences it produces are those of torpor and imbecility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/whenever-government-assumes-to-deliver-us-from-the-trouble-of/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [During my academical life, and from this time forward, I was indefatigable in my search after truth. I read all the authors of greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/during-my-academical-life-and-from-this-time-forward-i-was/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [Was ever a great discovery prosecuted or an important benefit conferred upon the human race by him who was incapable of standing and thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/was-ever-a-great-discovery-prosecuted-or-an-important-benefit/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [The real or supposed rights of man are of two kinds, active and passive; the right in certain cases to do as we list;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/the-real-or-supposed-rights-of-man-are-of-two-kinds-active-and/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [Soundness of understanding is connected with freedom of enquiry; consequently, opinion should, as far as public security will admit, be exempted from restraint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/soundness-of-understanding-is-connected-with-freedom-of-enquiry/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [Power is not happiness. Security and peace are more to be desired than a man at which nations tremble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/power-is-not-happiness-security-and-peace-are-more-to-be-desired-than/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) > [“Strange that men, from age to age, should consent to hold their lives at the breath of another, merely that each in his turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-godwin/strange-that-men-from-age-to-age-should-consent-to-hold-their-lives/) [William Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) [Explore all 193 William Godwin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-godwin/) ## More Enjoyment quotes > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) > [I filmed my first vlog and I think it worked because I wasn't trying to make it work. I was just doing it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-dobrik/i-filmed-my-first-vlog-and-i-think-it-worked-because-i-wasn-t-trying/) [David Dobrik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-dobrik/) > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. What did people mean, with their simply determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-all-had-to-be-squeezed-and-squeezed-again-to-provide-a-thrill-to/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [Love grows. Lust wastes by Enjoyment, and the Reason is, that one springs from an Union of Souls, and the other from an Union…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/love-grows-lust-wastes-by-enjoyment-and-the-reason-is-that-one/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [Why does a man who is truly in love insist that this relationship must continue and be "lifelong"? Because life is pain and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/why-does-a-man-who-is-truly-in-love-insist-that-this-relationship/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Enjoyment is not a goal, it is a feeling that accompanies important ongoing activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/enjoyment-is-not-a-goal-it-is-a-feeling-that-accompanies-important/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [I think if you're too embroiled in the need to relate too closely to the character, then you start to judge the character for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-think-if-you-re-too-embroiled-in-the-need-to-relate-too-closely-to/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [I'm always very fearful when academics get ahold of comedy. Comedy is such a clear thing - people laugh, or they don't laugh. 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You may not be able to articulate it, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/in-every-generation-there-are-a-few-people-who-are-authentically/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) [Browse all 1,334 Enjoyment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoyment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is an indescribable something that ties us to life. For this purpose, it is not necessary that we should be happy. 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