--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If there is one recipe for unhappiness it…" description: "\"If there is one recipe for unhappiness it is that: expectations.\" — Yasmin Mogahed" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ed/yasmin-mogahed-1335_expectations_if-there-is-one-recipe-for-unhappiness-i_755508.png" --- # If there is one recipe for unhappiness it is that… ![“If there is one recipe for unhappiness it is that: expectations.” quote by Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ed/yasmin-mogahed-1335_expectations_if-there-is-one-recipe-for-unhappiness-i_755508.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ed/yasmin-mogahed-1335_expectations_if-there-is-one-recipe-for-unhappiness-i_755508.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ed/yasmin-mogahed-1335_expectations_if-there-is-one-recipe-for-unhappiness-i_755508.png) > “If there is one recipe for unhappiness it is that: expectations.” [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Expectations create dissatisfaction; letting go leads to contentment. **In simple terms:** Expectations cause unhappiness; release them. Key Takeaway Release expectations for peace. Themes happiness expectations mindfulness Mood calm thoughtful Type advice spiritual When to use this quote - career - relationships - personal goals - health Key Concepts psychology spirituality contentment Questions to Reflect On - What expectations are you holding? - How can you balance hope and acceptance? A Different Perspective High expectations can motivate positive change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Unhappiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unhappiness/) ## Related quotes > [I try a different cookie recipe every time I bake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-windsor/i-try-a-different-cookie-recipe-every-time-i-bake/) [Devon Windsor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-windsor/) > [I do make a good ragu pasta, which everyone seems to like. Or that could be just me talking; who knows what they really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taissa-farmiga/i-do-make-a-good-ragu-pasta-which-everyone-seems-to-like-or-that/) [Taissa Farmiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taissa-farmiga/) > [Someone left the cake out in the rain. I don't think that I can take it, cause it took so long to bake it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-harris/someone-left-the-cake-out-in-the-rain-i-don-t-think-that-i-can-take/) [Richard Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-harris/) > [Don't let the secret recipe die with the inventor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/don-t-let-the-secret-recipe-die-with-the-inventor/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [Green chemistry is replacing our industrial chemistry with nature's recipe book. It's not easy, because life uses only a subset of the elements in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janine-benyus/green-chemistry-is-replacing-our-industrial-chemistry-with-nature-s/) [Janine Benyus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janine-benyus/) > [If I had one piece of advice for people - if they are cooking from the Alinea cookbook, the Betty Crocker cookbook or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-achatz/if-i-had-one-piece-of-advice-for-people-if-they-are-cooking-from-the/) [Grant Achatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-achatz/) > [We cannot tax the same people we expect to create jobs. That is a recipe for keeping people out of work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-roby/we-cannot-tax-the-same-people-we-expect-to-create-jobs-that-is-a/) [Martha Roby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-roby/) > [An algorithm is like a recipe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-waseem/an-algorithm-is-like-a-recipe/) [Muhammad Waseem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-waseem/) > [I studied at a university in Florence and finished my degree. My mother was very strict about this recipe: You need to get your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donatella-versace/i-studied-at-a-university-in-florence-and-finished-my-degree-my/) [Donatella Versace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donatella-versace/) > [I'm really a scientist. I follow recipes exactly - until I decide not to. And then I'll follow something else exactly. I may decide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ina-garten/i-m-really-a-scientist-i-follow-recipes-exactly-until-i-decide-not-to/) [Ina Garten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ina-garten/) > [Once you have mastered a technique, you barely have to look at a recipe again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/once-you-have-mastered-a-technique-you-barely-have-to-look-at-a/) [Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/) > [Life's no piece of cake, mind you, but the recipe's my own to fool with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/life-s-no-piece-of-cake-mind-you-but-the-recipe-s-my-own-to-fool-with/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [It was improv that really helped me start coming up with recipes and just believe in my instincts. That's why the first recipe I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aarti-sequeira/it-was-improv-that-really-helped-me-start-coming-up-with-recipes-and/) [Aarti Sequeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aarti-sequeira/) > [I'm not an amazing cook. But I can follow a recipe!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-mcadams/i-m-not-an-amazing-cook-but-i-can-follow-a-recipe/) [Rachel McAdams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-mcadams/) > [There is no recipe for success - it is as unique as you are](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-massenet/there-is-no-recipe-for-success-it-is-as-unique-as-you-are/) [Natalie Massenet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-massenet/) ## More by Yasmin Mogahed > [How could you feel worthless when God has honoured you by creating you and choosing you to be with Him, in this life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/how-could-you-feel-worthless-when-god-has-honoured-you-by-creating/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [Many of us rely on our own illusion of control. But when God makes it known to you that you're not the one steering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/many-of-us-rely-on-our-own-illusion-of-control-but-when-god-makes-it/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [Once in a while, people enter our lives and lessen the loneliness of being away from Home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/once-in-a-while-people-enter-our-lives-and-lessen-the-loneliness-of/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [There is meaning in all things. But are you paying attention?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/there-is-meaning-in-all-things-but-are-you-paying-attention/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [Your heart is sacred land. Don't let just anything enter it. Guard it with your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/your-heart-is-sacred-land-don-t-let-just-anything-enter-it-guard-it/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [Sometimes this world comes between us and what we love. But if we are patient, when this world passes away, there will be no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/sometimes-this-world-comes-between-us-and-what-we-love-but-if-we-are/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [“Nothing is difficult if you seek it through your Lord, and nothing is easy if you seek it through yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/nothing-is-difficult-if-you-seek-it-through-your-lord-and-nothing-is/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [Stop hating on yourself for not being perfect. If God wanted perfection, He would have made you an angel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/stop-hating-on-yourself-for-not-being-perfect-if-god-wanted/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [You have trouble feeling alive, so you stab your own heart just to feel something. It was the emptiness that was killing you. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/you-have-trouble-feeling-alive-so-you-stab-your-own-heart-just-to/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [Leaving the people and places you love, is a reminder of the impermanence of this life. And the permanence of the next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/leaving-the-people-and-places-you-love-is-a-reminder-of-the/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [“You will never give up a thing for the sake of Allah (swt), but that Allah will replace it for you with something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/you-will-never-give-up-a-thing-for-the-sake-of-allah-swt-but-that/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [Everything you say or allow into your eyes or ears becomes data that is stored in your heart. That data is later replayed during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/everything-you-say-or-allow-into-your-eyes-or-ears-becomes-data-that/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [We die as we lived. Whatever was most important in life, will consume us at death. Whatever attachments we had will become evident then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/we-die-as-we-lived-whatever-was-most-important-in-life-will-consume/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [Resilience is very different than being numb. Resilience means you experience, you feel, you fail, you hurt. You fall. But, you keep going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/resilience-is-very-different-than-being-numb-resilience-means-you/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [But, this dark place is not the end. Remember that the darkness of night precedes the dawn. And as long as your heart still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/but-this-dark-place-is-not-the-end-remember-that-the-darkness-of/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) [Explore all 255 Yasmin Mogahed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) ## More Expectations quotes > [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/) > [My mom had very low expectations for me, and she really had a point. I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I say this all the time: I've always been really good at managing my expectations so that I'm not let down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-young/i-say-this-all-the-time-i-ve-always-been-really-good-at-managing-my/) [Brett Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-young/) > [When Allah puts barakah (His blessings) in something, it will come beyond your expectations- never underestimate the power of one good deed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/when-allah-puts-barakah-his-blessings-in-something-it-will-come/) [Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/) > [Keeping up with everybody's expectation is soooo hard!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi/keeping-up-with-everybody-s-expectation-is-soooo-hard/) [Naomi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi/) > [I recognize I am essentially a failed human being in the sense that I can't possibly live up to the expectations of an Almighty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-recognize-i-am-essentially-a-failed-human-being-in-the-sense-that-i/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [We're wired to expect the world to be brighter and more meaningful and more obviously interesting than it actually is. And when we realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/we-re-wired-to-expect-the-world-to-be-brighter-and-more-meaningful/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [“Does your reality match your expectations? If not it's time to change either your expectations or your reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/does-your-reality-match-your-expectations-if-not-it-s-time-to-change/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [Jesus' kingdom was not like the popular expectation. He used the phrase 'kingdom of God' with a different meaning. His kingdom was not of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harpur/jesus-kingdom-was-not-like-the-popular-expectation-he-used-the-phrase/) [Tom Harpur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harpur/) > [Disappointment contains an appointment for doing much better. High expectations mean your higher capacity and belief in abilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasneem-hameed/disappointment-contains-an-appointment-for-doing-much-better-high/) [Tasneem Hameed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasneem-hameed/) > [It's a good place when all you have is hope and not expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-boyle/it-s-a-good-place-when-all-you-have-is-hope-and-not-expectations/) [Danny Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-boyle/) > [When we give from a place of love, rather than from a place of expectation, more usually comes back to us than we could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/when-we-give-from-a-place-of-love-rather-than-from-a-place-of/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [Everybody out there watches the show and has expectations of wanting to be an 'Idol', but we're going to teach them how much hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-bice/everybody-out-there-watches-the-show-and-has-expectations-of-wanting/) [Bo Bice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-bice/) > [When we fall utterly, something gathers us up. But our falling must be without reservation, without expectation, without hope, though not hopeless. You cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-fall-utterly-something-gathers-us-up-but-our-falling-must-be/) [Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/) [Browse all 4,210 Expectations quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If there is one recipe for unhappiness it is that: expectations.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Yasmin Mogahed" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/if-there-is-one-recipe-for-unhappiness-it-is-that-expectations/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Expectations" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/if-there-is-one-recipe-for-unhappiness-it-is-that-expectations/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ed/yasmin-mogahed-1335_expectations_if-there-is-one-recipe-for-unhappiness-i_755508.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ed/yasmin-mogahed-1335_expectations_if-there-is-one-recipe-for-unhappiness-i_755508.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ed/yasmin-mogahed-1335_expectations_if-there-is-one-recipe-for-unhappiness-i_755508.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If there is one recipe for unhappiness it is that: expectations.” — Yasmin Mogahed", "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": "Yasmin Mogahed", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If there is one recipe for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/if-there-is-one-recipe-for-unhappiness-it-is-that-expectations/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/if-there-is-one-recipe-for-unhappiness-it-is-that-expectations/#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 } } ] } ```