Are you looking for some words of wisdom on the subject of pleasure? Check out our quotes about pleasure from some of history’s most celebrated thinkers.
Quotes About Pleasure
“I think it would be a mistake to undertake any project unless the pleasure of performing that project is at least slightly more significant than the pain of not performing it.”
“The most delightsome thing in life is the wit of friends and the pleasure of their company.”
“It was ever thus that pleasures were won, and the enslaved person became a master, but it was the love of pleasure that enslaved him in the first place.”
“To enjoy life, we should never attach any importance to what happens to us.”
“True happiness lies in the pleasure and tranquillity of a contented soul.”
“The habits of pleasure are more potent than the impulses of ambition; we are forced to lead a certain kind of life, which weighs upon our spirits with sorrow and despair.”
“Men have almost always adopted the profession they love best by the force of habit. In other words, we are slaves to our pleasures.”
“The joy of a single pleasure is not enough; we must multiply the number of pleasures.”
“Ancient peoples did nothing for art for the sake of art. They didn’t think about it; they just had lots and lots of pleasure.”
“Pleasure is not always good, but sometimes it is.”
“If I am going to be happy (having pleasure), I have to believe that what exists outside of me (other people, nature) also has some of my pleasures. That is the only way to be happy.”
“Pleasure is a quality of our intelligence. To have pleasure, we have to understand.”
“The difference between pleasure and happiness is that pleasure can never make us unhappy, but happiness can cause us grief.”
“We get pleasure from the things in our lives connected with other people, and we are not happy when they are taken away from us. I think of it like oxygen.
“Pleasure is the fruit of a successful struggle to arrange the world in a way that pleases us, and the proof of this pleasure is that our efforts are repeated.”
“Pleasure is an extra boost given by nature to those who have not yet achieved their purpose in life. Trying to find your purpose without pleasure is like trying to walk downhill against nature.”
“Happiness has a Pleasure that you know belongs to you alone. Pleasure is a kind of communication with this world, the life around us.”
“I have no purpose other than my pleasure.”
“I believe that pleasure precedes happiness.”
“The pleasure of having been deceived by an illusion is greater than the joy of realizing it was an illusion.”
“There is no point in being surprised when pleasure comes our way.”
“The law governs all pleasures for every person to do what pleases him. The law must be obeyed first, and then the morality.”
“The pleasure of writing is purposefulness.”
“One can have too much experience, but it is impossible to have too little pleasure.”
“We have no pleasures until we cease to desire.”
“Pleasure is the child of thought.”
“The world owes us pleasure; we owe it nothing.”
“The greatest pleasure is to see the most intelligence in action.”
“Pleasure is the only time-test of truth, the sovereign criterion of all other things.”
“Some people are inferior in the things of the intellect because they can know nothing but pleasure.”
“I would go so far as to say that everyone is allowed to seek his pleasures; further, he is allowed to forbid others from seeking theirs.”
“One man’s pleasure drones in another man’s ears without making him blind.”
“The pleasure of looking at a beautiful woman is always new.”
“The greatest pleasure is that which no time divides.”
“Pleasure is like a prison, isolating from everything else.”
“The greatest pleasure is to surprise others by showing them what they have taught us ourselves.”
“There are occasions when to be able to listen for hours and hours is the highest pleasure of all.”
“What seems most lacking in our day is pleasure.”
“The only pleasures that do not degrade men are those which do not allow them to feel, laugh, weep, thinking.”
“Until pleasures are natural, they can never be perfect.”
“Pleasure is this alone which makes what we call life worth living.”
“The trustworthy source of all pleasure–in this world and the next–is the moral virtues.”
“Pleasure is at first a small and comparatively insignificant state of mind, but by frequent indulgence, it swells to utter self-forgetfulness.”
“Pleasure does not always produce delight, but most frequently pain.”
“What greater pleasure than seeing and hearing others acting with propriety?”
“The most pleasant thing in the world is to change the sorrowful mind of another.”
“The only proper kind of pleasure is a pleasure that brings love.”
“Pleasure Is acquired not by long years of attention but by moments of awakening.”
“Pleasure is the only thing that ever tempts anybody to throw off morality.”
“The proper study of humanity is pleasure.”
“The greatest pleasures are those which are firmly declined.”
“Pleasure consists not in doing something but in becoming someone.”
“The greatest pleasure consists in being what we are.”
“Pleasure is always the fruit of exertion.”
“The pleasures of the intellect are not inborn. They are acquired through work.”
“The mind is the sole source of pleasure; it is crucial to understand this.”
“Pleasure is a kind of self-congratulation.”
“The only absolute pleasure is in fulfilling one is duties.”
“Pleasure can never exist in a person who feels contempt for himself.”
“Thoughtful Pleasure cannot be estranged from virtue.”
“The greatest pleasures are always simple ones.”
“Pleasure keeps the body alive, virtue the soul. ”
“True Pleasure consists not in having but in being.”
Quotes About Pleasure and Happiness
“The only pleasure man can take from life is the pleasure of enjoying it.”
“The pleasures of the intellect are not won by man; instead, they are won for him by the very things he works at. ”
“Then is the time, O soul, to enjoy the pleasant; the pleasant is but a moment.”
“The pleasure of singing all day long and not being understood by others.”
“It is, by all means, wholesome that we should take pleasure in doing good to others.”
“The pleasures of the intellect are not enjoyed by us; rather, they are put into our hands for us to enjoy. ”
“Pleasure is the goal of life.”
“The pleasures of the intellect demand time and solitude. ”
“The most crucial consideration in the pleasures of the intellect is perseverance, conjoined with unceasing and untiring effort.”
“All our pleasure is a form of play; we cease to play when we cease to grow.”
“The pleasures of the intellect are like a child’s box of pieces without instruction as to what they are for. ”
“The pleasures of the intellect are only acquired by practice.”
“Pleasure is an intellectual activity that provides the greatest enjoyment of all.”
“The greatest pleasure is in realizing your merit and the honors that accrue to you. ”
“Pleasure is produced by contemplating one is self in action.”
“The greatest pleasures are only narrowly separated from disgust.”
“One principal means of solving many difficulties and vexations that beset man’s path in life is cultivating a taste for simple pleasures and amusements.”
“In pursuing pleasure, man often multiplies his pains without any corresponding gain.”
“Life is a state of mind as well as a condition of the body. We should guard our minds the same way we wish to guard our bodies.”
“The passions are sources of great pain and pleasure, and if men could live without passions, they would have neither suffering nor enjoyment. Despite this, not only the vulgar but even the most educated men have ceased to guard their passions.”
“Pleasures are generally temporary; therefore, we may safely count on them in ordinary life, but the pleasures of the intellect are more durable. We may be sure that those who cultivate them will find those pleasures that last.”
“The best pleasures are enjoyed by those capable of the greatest enjoyment.”
“Pleasure is not to be taken with impunity, and often to take it would be to inflict upon oneself a thousand hurts.”
“Pleasures are as shadows, Short in proportion to the distances we run to seek them.”
“Men have different tastes. You must have seen that some like one Pleasure and some another.”
“To have pleasure in nature is rights. Man must defend it.”
“The pleasure of the moment is often purchased by the pain of years.”
“Pleasure is nature is test, while pain is God’s test. Pleasure asks, ’Is this good?’ Pain asks, ’Is this acceptable?’”
“Pleasures are like shadows, always waiting at your feet, but following them means you lose your way.”
“Pleasures and pain equally retain the same relation to the soul.”
“It is with sorrow we come to wisdom and with pleasure to folly.”
“Pleasure and pain are the same; they are two sides of the same coin.”
Quotes on Pleasure of Life
“Joy and pleasure may, in some instances, be derived from objects which on other occasions give rise to disgust: but it is always with the sacrifice that true joy is bought, for the very idea of pleasure implies that it is the removal of pain.”
“The wise man never chooses his pleasures.”
“The poor man who dives deep into pleasure has something to hide.”
“Pleasure is the beauty of life; God hides it from us so that we may be happy by finding Him in everything.”
“A wise man will always hold in these matters to this golden mean; he will guard himself against extravagances, which are the most significant source of danger to his pleasures.”
“The mind that is ever intent upon pleasure is insatiable in it’s appetites and very apt to fall into every kind of excess. An excess of pleasure is followed by a painful reaction, whereas a moderate amount of pleasure is followed by a pleasant one.”
“Pleasures are like shadows, Short in proportion to the distances we run to seek them.”
“Pleasure is a delusion; it’s opposite is pain, which can only be produced by ourselves.”
“Is there any greater pleasure than that of giving pleasure to others?”
“To enjoy the pleasures of life, we must acquire the art of finding satisfaction in small as well as in plentiful.”
“The greatest pleasure is doing for others.”
“Pleasure does not always lie in what you do yourself, but sometimes lies in what you do for others.”
“The pleasure of life is variety; the only absolute tyranny is monotony. To be doomed to eat, drink, sleep and wake at the exact times every day of our lives would drive us mad.”
“Pleasure has it’s limits, but duty extends beyond them. We owe a great deal to pleasure but more to duty. Pleasure is a lousy master but a good servant.”
“The source of the greatest pleasure is doing good to others. We should do it without being seen or praised for it.”
“Pleasure, like truth, comes in moments.”
“The pleasure of the mind must come when there is leisure, not when there is panic. Panic, the emotion aroused by danger, is worse than the real danger.”
“Nothing gives me more pleasure than seeing someone with a good time. On the contrary, I like to see people who do more than have a good time; it pleases me enormously to see them at work and not just enjoying themselves. We all need work.”
“Take your work seriously as a pleasure, and as a pleasure, try to enjoy it as a duty.”
“Pleasure is second, but duty is first.”
“Even the hardest-headed man may be capable of feeling pleasure if he is given enough time to think about it. The pleasure of giving may thaw even the coldest heart.”
“Pleasure is evil, and every good deed must overcome it.”
“Pleasure is the touchstone of all that is good, as pain is of all that is evil. It is a Pleasure that draws man upwards and makes him seek to do good; it is a pain that makes him shrink from doing wrong.”
“Pleasure is the coldest and most fleeting of all our feelings.”
“The trick is to get pleasure out of life and do what gives you an inner glow.”
“Pleasure is ours, enjoyment ours, and so too the means to enjoy.”
“Enjoyment of pleasures involves a certain amount of pain. It is in this respect, like everything else, that is worth doing.”
“We enjoy thoroughly only the pleasure that we give.”
“The greater the pleasure, the more terrible the fall!”
“Where there is no pleasure in memory, there will be no sorrow in reflection. House the pleasures in lifelong memory.”
“The only lasting pleasures are those enjoyed at someone else is expense.”
“A life merely of pleasure, or chiefly of pleasure, is always a poor and worthless life.”
“Not every pleasure is worth purchasing at the price of pain.”
“From the very nature of things, nothing can be made out of nothing – without pleasure, there can be no good humor. For good humor is nothing but pleasure received.”
Love Pleasure Quotes
“One constantly has to pay for pleasures, and it is only by paying that one can enjoy them.”
“Life is greatest joys are the fruits of love. The greatest pleasures are always the fruits of love.”
“One always has to pay for pleasures, and it is only by paying that one can enjoy them.”
“Pleasure, more than anything else, gives the feeling of being alive.”
“. only the pleasure lasts while the memory dies.”
“Pleasure is what makes life more pleasurable. With no pleasure, there would be no desire for life.”
“Pleasures that are not shared are like nothing; what is not shared should be enjoyed alone.”
“To love to enjoy one is pleasures merely is a sign of weakness. To love to do good is a sign of strength.”
“Memories consistently linger, but pleasures soon vanish.”
“Memory never robs us of our pleasures, but the loss of pleasure leaves us with more memories than we would have had with pleasure.”
“A man who loves pleasure may still be forced to live in a world where there is no pleasure. A man who loves virtue may live in a world where virtue is no longer commendable.”
“When it is pleasant to think, it is perhaps just as well to be as good as one can.”
“Whatever gives us pleasure is almost miraculous.”
“The art of life lies in never losing sight of pleasure we could enjoy without injuring anyone else.”
“Pleasure is always a little evil, for it harms others and ourselves. It ruins health, dissipates the mind, and corrupts our morals.”
“The natural way of living often seems to be overshadowed by many pleasures.”
“Pleasure without conscience, said Donne, is sin.”
“The greater the pleasure is, the keener our sense of loss when it is taken away from us!”
“Pleasures are often more momentary than pain, yet we seem to nip pleasures in the bud. We quench joy before it blossoms.”
“Where there is no pleasure in memory, there will be no sorrow in reflection.”
“Without pleasure, life would be hardly worth having.”
“Pleasures are for a moment, but remorse and resentment go on forever. We often anticipate pleasure, but seldom trouble ourselves about repentance.”
“Pleasure is the only thing worth living for, and life is not to be bought at any price.”