"We are no longer happy so soon as we wish to be happier"

Human happiness is fragile and easily disrupted, often not by external events, but by the workings of our own desires. When Walter Savage Landor observes that we are no longer happy as soon as we wish to be happier, he touches on the paradoxical nature of contentment. As long as we are immersed in our current state, present, accepting, and not yearning for more, we experience true satisfaction. The moment a longing for greater happiness enters, however, we subtly abandon what we have and begin to fixate on what is missing.

This craving for a higher degree of joy undermines the appreciation of our present life. The wish to be happier introduces restlessness, signaling that our current contentment is insufficient. In doing so, our attention shifts from gratitude to desire, from fulfillment to lack. We start to measure our happiness against an idealized version just out of reach, and in that comparison, our sense of well-being falters. The intensity of yearning for more makes us acutely aware of what we think is absent, breeding dissatisfaction where once there was peace.

This insight reflects a universal human tendency: the belief that happiness is a destination, rather than a temporary state woven into our everyday moments. Rather than simply being, we often become seekers, restless, sometimes insatiable, chasing some future peak of joy. Landor’s observation serves as a reminder that the pursuit of happiness, if not rooted in acceptance, can become a source of unhappiness itself. Ironically, we lose sight of joy by overly striving for it. True happiness, then, lies in the ability to cherish and inhabit the present without constant cravings for something brighter or better. Awareness of this dynamic encourages mindfulness, gratitude, and a quieter, more lasting contentment.