You know the old adage: Plant an expectation, reap a disappointment.
Elizabeth GilbertRead
And when you sense a faint potentiality for happiness after such dark times you must grab onto the ankles of that happiness and not let go until it drags you face-first out of the dirt - this is not selfishness, but obligation. You were given life; it is your duty to find something beautiful within life no matter how slight.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Pursuing happiness is a responsibility, especially after difficult times.
In this quote, Elizabeth Gilbert emphasizes the importance of holding onto any chance of happiness that arises after experiencing challenging moments. She asserts that seeking and nurturing moments of beauty and joy in life is not a selfish act; it is a moral obligation for individuals to recognize and embrace the positive aspects of life, regardless of how small they may seem.
Themes
HappinessObligationLifeBeautyDuty
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about resilience and the importance of finding joy in adversity.
More from Elizabeth Gilbert
All quotes →Do not apologize for crying. Without this emotion, we are only robots.
Elizabeth GilbertRead
I had always been taught that the pursuit of happiness was my natural (even national) birthright. It is the emotional trademark of my culture to seek happiness. Not just any kind of happiness, either, but profound happiness, even soaring happiness. And what could possibly bring a person more soaring happiness than romantic love.
Elizabeth GilbertRead
When I tried this morning, after an hour or so of unhappy thinking, to dip back into my meditation, I took a new idea with me: compassion. I asked my heart if it could please infuse my soul with a more generous perspective on my mind's workings. Instead of thinking that I was a failure, could I perhaps accept that I am only a human being--and a normal one, at that?
Elizabeth GilbertRead
But never again use another person's body or emotions as a scratching post for your own unfulfilling yearnings.
Elizabeth GilbertRead
Your home is whatever in this world you love more than you love yourself.
Elizabeth GilbertRead
Similar quotes
The objective of cleaning is not just to clean, but to feel happiness living within that environment.
Marie KondoRead
Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.
Dolly PartonRead
Turn your attention for a while away from the worries and anxieties. Remind yourself of all your many blessings.
Ralph MarstonRead
Blustery cold days should be spend propped up in bed with a mug of hot chocolate and a pile of comic books.
Bill WattersonRead
The things that brought me the most comfort now were too small to list. Raspberries in cream. Sparrows with cocked heads. Shadows of bare limbs making for sidewalk filigrees. Roses past their prime with their petals loose about them. The shouts of children at play in the neighborhood, Ginger Rogers on the black-and-white screen.
Elizabeth BergRead
It's fun to have money, but the more money I get, the less interesting it becomes. If you don't have very much, you have to think about it. If you are starving, you become interested in food. If you are struggling to pay the bills, money becomes tragically important.
Sebastian JungerRead