"Who will tell whether one happy moment of love or the joy of breathing or walking on a bright morning and smelling the fresh air, is not worth all the suffering and effort which life implies"
- Erich Fromm
About this Quote
This quote by Erich Fromm speaks to the idea that life has lots of suffering and effort, but that it is worth it for the moments of joy and love that we experience. Fromm suggests that even the small minutes of pleasure, such as feeling the sun on your skin or breathing in the fresh air, deserve the effort of life. He is recommending that these moments of happiness are what make life worth living, which they need to be appreciated and savored. Fromm is encouraging us to put in the time to appreciate the small moments of joy, and to recognize that they are worth the effort of life. He is advising us that life is full of suffering and effort, however that it deserves it for the minutes of delight and love that we experience.
"Life is life - whether in a cat, or dog or man. There is no difference there between a cat or a man. The idea of difference is a human conception for man's own advantage"