--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The greatest happiness you can have is…" description: "\"The greatest happiness you can have is knowing that you do not necessarily require happiness.\" — William Saroyan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/william-saroyan-1743_happiness_the-greatest-happiness-you-can-have-is-k_1314917.jpg" --- # The greatest happiness you can have is knowing that you do… ![“The greatest happiness you can have is knowing that you do not necessarily require happiness.” quote by William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/william-saroyan-1743_happiness_the-greatest-happiness-you-can-have-is-k_1314917.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/william-saroyan-1743_happiness_the-greatest-happiness-you-can-have-is-k_1314917.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/william-saroyan-1743_happiness_the-greatest-happiness-you-can-have-is-k_1314917.jpg) > “The greatest happiness you can have is knowing that you do not necessarily require happiness.” [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) ## 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 a prerequisite for a meaningful life; contentment can arise without seeking joy. **In simple terms:** You can live well without chasing happiness. Key Takeaway Focus on purpose rather than pleasure. Themes happiness contentment meaning Mood thoughtful calm Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career satisfaction - relationships - creative pursuits Key Concepts existentialism psychology well‑being Questions to Reflect On - What gives your life meaning beyond happiness? - Is it possible to be content while feeling unhappy? A Different Perspective Happiness may still be a valuable goal for many. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) ## Related quotes > [“Expectations are nothing more than the rules we set, in order to maintain our ego and self esteem. What we seek from others is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/expectations-are-nothing-more-than-the-rules-we-set-in-order-to/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [we both fitted. If our corners were not rubbed off they were at least pulled in. But deep in us both was something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/we-both-fitted-if-our-corners-were-not-rubbed-off-they-were-at-least/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [We seldom require more to the happiness of the present hour than to surpass him that stands next before us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/we-seldom-require-more-to-the-happiness-of-the-present-hour-than-to/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“Was the happiness of knowing these girls really unattainable? It would certainly not have been the first happiness of that sort which I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/was-the-happiness-of-knowing-these-girls-really-unattainable-it-would/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“If there is such a thing as complete happiness, it is knowing that you are in the right place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/if-there-is-such-a-thing-as-complete-happiness-it-is-knowing-that-you/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [Perfect happiness is knowing that everyone I love is healthy, safe, and content.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-fielding/perfect-happiness-is-knowing-that-everyone-i-love-is-healthy-safe-and/) [Joy Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-fielding/) > [“Happiness is knowing those you love not only feel your love, but understand that love is unconditional.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-boyd/happiness-is-knowing-those-you-love-not-only-feel-your-love-but/) Jenni Boyd > [“His happiness in knowing himself to have been so long the beloved of such a heart, must have been great enough to warrant any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/his-happiness-in-knowing-himself-to-have-been-so-long-the-beloved-of/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Contentment is knowing you're right. Happiness is knowing someone else is wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/contentment-is-knowing-you-re-right-happiness-is-knowing-someone-else/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [We have lived through the era when happiness was a warm puppy, and the era when happiness was a dry martini, and now we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/we-have-lived-through-the-era-when-happiness-was-a-warm-puppy-and-the/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [I get happiness knowing you will never amount to anything in life and you will soon get what you deserve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-get-happiness-knowing-you-will-never-amount-to-anything-in-life-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There is nothing I have to do, nowhere I have to go, and no way I have to be except exactly the way I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/there-is-nothing-i-have-to-do-nowhere-i-have-to-go-and-no-way-i-have/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [Sometimes happiness is not knowing the whole story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-ois-lelord/sometimes-happiness-is-not-knowing-the-whole-story/) [François Lelord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-ois-lelord/) > [Happiness is always knowing that Jesus loves you even when you don't love you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vesta-rhoades/happiness-is-always-knowing-that-jesus-loves-you-even-when-you-don-t/) Vesta Rhoades > [“To this day I believe a person’s ideal first job is the one that reveals the most about them. Knowing who I was helped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/to-this-day-i-believe-a-person-s-ideal-first-job-is-the-one-that/) [A.G. Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/) ## More by William Saroyan > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [The basic truth of all things, as nearly as we may ever dream of determining and knowing this truth, is form, that which is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/the-basic-truth-of-all-things-as-nearly-as-we-may-ever-dream-of/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [“This is a hell of a night. I don't want to leave it just to go to sleep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/this-is-a-hell-of-a-night-i-don-t-want-to-leave-it-just-to-go-to-sleep/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [Americans still believe they are cut out to be successful-in everything: love, love-making, luck, luck-giving, money-making, sense-making, cancer-avoiding, clothes-wearing, car-driving, and so on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/americans-still-believe-they-are-cut-out-to-be-successful-in/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [I can't decide for you whether or not you have got to write, but if anything in the world, war, or pestilence, or famine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/i-can-t-decide-for-you-whether-or-not-you-have-got-to-write-but-if/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [He paints for the blind, and we are the blind, and he lets us see for sure what we saw long ago but weren't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/he-paints-for-the-blind-and-we-are-the-blind-and-he-lets-us-see-for/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [I am interested in madness. I believe it is the biggest thing in the human race, and the most constant. How do you take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/i-am-interested-in-madness-i-believe-it-is-the-biggest-thing-in-the/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [Two years ago your father died, Ulysses. But as long as we are alive, as long as we are together, as long as two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/two-years-ago-your-father-died-ulysses-but-as-long-as-we-are-alive-as/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [Cowards are nice, they're interesting, they're gentle, they wouldn't think of shooting down people in a parade from a tower. They want to live,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/cowards-are-nice-they-re-interesting-they-re-gentle-they-wouldn-t/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [In the time of your life, live - so that in that good time there shall be no ugliness or death for yourself or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/in-the-time-of-your-life-live-so-that-in-that-good-time-there-shall/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [San Francisco is a world to explore. It is a place where the heart can go on a delightful adventure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/san-francisco-is-a-world-to-explore-it-is-a-place-where-the-heart-can/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [Even after you've won fame and fortune, every time you write you've got to write, there's no shortcut, you have to start your career…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/even-after-you-ve-won-fame-and-fortune-every-time-you-write-you-ve/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose history is ended, whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/i-should-like-to-see-any-power-of-the-world-destroy-this-race-this/) [WILLIAM SAROYAN](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [There could be no extreme vanity in my recognition of myself, if in fact there could be any at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/there-could-be-no-extreme-vanity-in-my-recognition-of-myself-if-in/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [“This sense of being out of time has driven thousands of people from their homes into moving-picture theaters where new universes appear before them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/this-sense-of-being-out-of-time-has-driven-thousands-of-people-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) [Explore all 207 William Saroyan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) ## 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": "The greatest happiness you can have is knowing that you do not necessarily require happiness.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Saroyan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/the-greatest-happiness-you-can-have-is-knowing-that-you-do-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Happiness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/the-greatest-happiness-you-can-have-is-knowing-that-you-do-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/william-saroyan-1743_happiness_the-greatest-happiness-you-can-have-is-k_1314917.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/william-saroyan-1743_happiness_the-greatest-happiness-you-can-have-is-k_1314917.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/784/william-saroyan-1743_happiness_the-greatest-happiness-you-can-have-is-k_1314917.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The greatest happiness you can have is knowing that you do not necessarily require happiness.” — William Saroyan", "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 Saroyan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The greatest happiness you can have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/the-greatest-happiness-you-can-have-is-knowing-that-you-do-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/the-greatest-happiness-you-can-have-is-knowing-that-you-do-not/#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 } } ] } ```