---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What was bright and exciting becomes…"
description: "\"“What was bright and exciting becomes weary, flat, and unprofitable.”\" — William James"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/william-james-228_consciousness_what-was-bright-and-exciting-becomes-wea_1225064.jpg"
---

#  What was bright and exciting becomes weary, flat, and…

![“What was bright and exciting becomes weary, flat, and unprofitable.” quote by William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/william-james-228_consciousness_what-was-bright-and-exciting-becomes-wea_1225064.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/william-james-228_consciousness_what-was-bright-and-exciting-becomes-wea_1225064.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/william-james-228_consciousness_what-was-bright-and-exciting-becomes-wea_1225064.jpg)

> ““What was bright and exciting becomes weary, flat, and unprofitable.””

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Excitement fades into monotony and loss of profit when novelty disappears.

**In simple terms:** Excitement turns dull and unprofitable over time.

Key Takeaway

Seek variety to sustain interest.

Themes

motivation economics psychology novelty

Mood

reflective inquisitive

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- product development
- career planning
- personal hobbies
- marketing strategies

Key Concepts

diminishing returns satiation creative fatigue

Questions to Reflect On

- What balances novelty with lasting value?
- How can you refresh a stagnant project?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on novelty can ignore depth and quality.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Exciting Weary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exciting-weary-3767001/) [Flat Unprofitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flat-unprofitable-2551387/) [James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/james/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Stream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stream/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Unprofitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unprofitable-652197/) [Weary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weary/) [Weary Flat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weary-flat-281836/)

## Related quotes

> [O God, O God, how weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-god-o-god-how-weary-stale-flat-and-unprofitable-seem-to-me-all-the/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“…Yes, San Francisco was far from all I longed to forget. But I was weary of the flat earth, the heat of summer and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/schoenewaldt/yes-san-francisco-was-far-from-all-i-longed-to-forget-but-i-was-weary/)

[Schoenewaldt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/schoenewaldt/)

> [A man with no philosophy in him is the most inauspicious and unprofitable of all possible social mates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/a-man-with-no-philosophy-in-him-is-the-most-inauspicious-and/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [Make wars unprofitable and you make them impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-philip-randolph/make-wars-unprofitable-and-you-make-them-impossible/)

[A. Philip Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-philip-randolph/)

> [“Small clients, by contrast, are intellectually challenging, enjoyable to work for, and miserably unprofitable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-stewart/small-clients-by-contrast-are-intellectually-challenging-enjoyable-to/)

[Matthew Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-stewart/)

> [Speculations apparently the most unprofitable have almost invariably been those from which the greatest practical applications have emanated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-herschel/speculations-apparently-the-most-unprofitable-have-almost-invariably/)

[John Herschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-herschel/)

> [Any business arrangement that is not profitable to the other person will in the end prove unprofitable for you. The bargain that yields mutual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-r-luce-2/any-business-arrangement-that-is-not-profitable-to-the-other-person/)

[Henry R Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-r-luce-2/)

> [A drunkard is unprofitable for any kind of good service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/a-drunkard-is-unprofitable-for-any-kind-of-good-service/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [The trouble with the profit system has always been that it was highly unprofitable to most people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white/the-trouble-with-the-profit-system-has-always-been-that-it-was-highly/)

[E. B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white/)

> [Any business arrangement that is not profitable to the other fellow will in the end prove unprofitable for you. The bargain that yields mutual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/any-business-arrangement-that-is-not-profitable-to-the-other-fellow/)

[B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/)

> [He fretful stir Unprofitable, and the fever ofthe world,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/he-fretful-stir-unprofitable-and-the-fever-ofthe-world/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [“…the day had been both unprofitable and unsatisfactory, and he was wishing he could live it over again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/the-day-had-been-both-unprofitable-and-unsatisfactory-and-he-was/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [We are unprofitable servants, we have done what we were obliged to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-the-evangelist/we-are-unprofitable-servants-we-have-done-what-we-were-obliged-to-do/)

[Luke the Evangelist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-the-evangelist/)

> [“An unprofitable company must not be doing work useful to society. Perhaps its products are lousy or maybe is badly run. In any case,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toshihiko-yamashita/an-unprofitable-company-must-not-be-doing-work-useful-to-society/)

[Toshihiko Yamashita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toshihiko-yamashita/)

> [This life is worth living, we can say, since it is what we make it. --William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/this-life-is-worth-living-we-can-say-since-it-is-what-we-make-it/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

## More by William James

> [Effort is the one strictly undervalued and original contribution we make to this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/effort-is-the-one-strictly-undervalued-and-original-contribution-we/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [We are all potentially such sick men. The sanest and best of us are of one clay with lunatics and prison-inmates. And whenever we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-are-all-potentially-such-sick-men-the-sanest-and-best-of-us-are-of/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [In the dim background of our mind we know meanwhile what we ought to be doing: getting up, dressing ourselves, answering the person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/in-the-dim-background-of-our-mind-we-know-meanwhile-what-we-ought-to/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [“Our minds thus grow in spots; and like grease-spots, the spots spread. But we let them spread as little as possible: we keep unaltered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/our-minds-thus-grow-in-spots-and-like-grease-spots-the-spots-spread/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [Circumstance does not make me, it reveals me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/circumstance-does-not-make-me-it-reveals-me/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> ['Facts' are the bounds of human knowledge, set for it, not by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/facts-are-the-bounds-of-human-knowledge-set-for-it-not-by-it/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [Woe to him whose beliefs play fast and loose with the order which realities follow in his experience; they will lead him nowhere or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/woe-to-him-whose-beliefs-play-fast-and-loose-with-the-order-which/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [We never fully grasp the import of any true statement until we have a clear notion of what the opposite untrue statement would be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-never-fully-grasp-the-import-of-any-true-statement-until-we-have-a/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [It is your friends who make your world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-your-friends-who-make-your-world/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/human-beings-can-alter-their-lives-by-altering-their-attitudes-of-mind/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [Most people, probably, are in doubt about certain matters ascribed to their past. They may have seen them, may have said them, done them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/most-people-probably-are-in-doubt-about-certain-matters-ascribed-to/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [“How soon, indeed, are human things forgotten! As we meet here this morning, the Southern sun is shining on their place of burial, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/how-soon-indeed-are-human-things-forgotten-as-we-meet-here-this/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [There can be no difference anywhere that does not make a difference somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/there-can-be-no-difference-anywhere-that-does-not-make-a-difference/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [It is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-everyone-to-believe-anything/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [The pragmatist turns away from abstraction and insufficiency, from verbal solutions, from bad a priori reasons, from fixed principles, closed systems, and pretended absolutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-pragmatist-turns-away-from-abstraction-and-insufficiency-from/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

[Explore all 854 William James quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

## More Consciousness quotes

> [“You're never alone if you're with your soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-armond-powell/you-re-never-alone-if-you-re-with-your-soul/)

[Gerard Armond Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-armond-powell/)

> [“I now argue that entry into Upper Palaeolithic caves was probably seen as virtually indistinguishable from entry into the mental vortex that leads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/i-now-argue-that-entry-into-upper-palaeolithic-caves-was-probably/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [How wonderful it would be to scatter words as they rise to consciousness, to let them lie where they fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/how-wonderful-it-would-be-to-scatter-words-as-they-rise-to/)

[Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/)

> [“People and situations always show us what we need to see and learn about ourselves, and when we take responsibility for our own feelings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-mada-dalian/people-and-situations-always-show-us-what-we-need-to-see-and-learn/)

[Eliza Mada Dalian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-mada-dalian/)

> [With the realization of God comes all power. If the little wave knew that behind it is the great ocean, it could say, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/with-the-realization-of-god-comes-all-power-if-the-little-wave-knew/)

[Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

> [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/)

[David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/)

> [“Entropy is the normal state of consciousness—a condition that is neither useful nor enjoyable. To avoid this condition, people are naturally eager to fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/entropy-is-the-normal-state-of-consciousness-a-condition-that-is/)

[Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/)

> [The purpose is to be in gratitude forever. Live with applied consciousness, prosperity will break through the walls, flood you with it. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-purpose-is-to-be-in-gratitude-forever-live-with-applied/)

[Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/)

> [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/)

[Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/)

> [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [So many people are passive participants in their very short time of having a consciousness, and those who aren't inspire me. Like Malala Yousafzai…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-gelulla/so-many-people-are-passive-participants-in-their-very-short-time-of/)

[Dylan Gelulla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-gelulla/)

> [Floating in and out of consciousness...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/floating-in-and-out-of-consciousness/)

[Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/)

> [“The vision teller tells the vision to unguarded minds' of prey. The programmed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-f-hodge/the-vision-teller-tells-the-vision-to-unguarded-minds-of-prey-the/)

[T.F. Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-f-hodge/)

> [Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between the stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response toward which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/human-freedom-involves-our-capacity-to-pause-between-the-stimulus-and/)

[Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/)

[Browse all 6,062 Consciousness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“What was bright and exciting becomes weary, flat, and unprofitable.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William James"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/what-was-bright-and-exciting-becomes-weary-flat-and-unprofitable/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Consciousness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/what-was-bright-and-exciting-becomes-weary-flat-and-unprofitable/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/william-james-228_consciousness_what-was-bright-and-exciting-becomes-wea_1225064.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/william-james-228_consciousness_what-was-bright-and-exciting-becomes-wea_1225064.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/william-james-228_consciousness_what-was-bright-and-exciting-becomes-wea_1225064.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What was bright and exciting becomes weary, flat, and unprofitable.” — William James",
                "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": "William James",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“What was bright and exciting becomes...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/what-was-bright-and-exciting-becomes-weary-flat-and-unprofitable/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/what-was-bright-and-exciting-becomes-weary-flat-and-unprofitable/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
