"To find out what one is fitted to do, and to secure an opportunity to do it, is the key to happiness"
About this Quote
The second clause is the real tell: “secure an opportunity to do it.” Dewey smuggles politics into what sounds like self-help. Talent without opportunity is not an individual failure; it’s a social design flaw. Schools, workplaces, and civic life either widen the runway for people to discover their aptitudes or they sort and stall them. The word “secure” implies struggle, negotiation, and institutions that can be shaped - or that can shut you out.
Context matters: Dewey wrote amid industrialization, urban growth, and a rising faith in scientific management, when human beings were being slotted into roles with assembly-line efficiency. His intent pushes back: happiness isn’t obedience to a predetermined station, and it isn’t consumption as compensation. It’s competent action with room to grow. The subtext is almost radical: a society that wants its citizens “happy” must organize itself to offer real chances to do meaningful work, not just preach resilience to those denied the chance.
Quote Details
| Topic | Career |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Dewey, John. (2026, January 15). To find out what one is fitted to do, and to secure an opportunity to do it, is the key to happiness. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/to-find-out-what-one-is-fitted-to-do-and-to-17705/
Chicago Style
Dewey, John. "To find out what one is fitted to do, and to secure an opportunity to do it, is the key to happiness." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/to-find-out-what-one-is-fitted-to-do-and-to-17705/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"To find out what one is fitted to do, and to secure an opportunity to do it, is the key to happiness." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/to-find-out-what-one-is-fitted-to-do-and-to-17705/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
