The rustic, the reader of novels, the pure ascetic: these three are truly happy men

Fernando Pessoa
About This Quote

The rustic, the reader of novels, the pure ascetic: these three are truly happy men. People who remove themselves from the world are the ones who are truly happy. They are content with what they have and don’t bother to try to gain more. They are also content with what they know and do not seek to learn something new or different.

The “pure ascetic” is someone who has renounced all worldly things, including food, clothing, money, etc. There are some people who are content with their lifestyle but others wish to improve. The only way to do that is by trying new things or by improving their existing lifestyle.

While it is fine that some people don’t have a strong sense of ambition, most people can benefit from being more ambitious about their life.

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