Book Passage, The Count of Monte Cristo

There is neither happiness 

nor misery in the world;

there is only the comparison

of one state with another,

nothing more. He who

has felt the deepest grief

is best able to experience

supreme happiness.

~Edmond Dantes

I speak about this quote very often, and ever since I turned the last page of the classic The Count of Monte Cristo, I feel like I have almost seen life a little differently. Most people probably do not think anything of this quote. But the more one looks at it, the more they see and learn of the truth that is present within these 37 words. 

Think about it...

What makes something a treat? The fact that it is so special it does not happen very often. For instance, every once in a while, my mom will make brownies. That is a treat. If she made brownies every single week, than it wouldn't be as special. We wouldn't have the same feeling as if the brownies were made every six months. You may feel more happy and the brownies may even seem to taste better if you eat them less often.

Also, there is a reason that no one is ever completely satisfied. People get too content and want something better. Then the something better becomes boring, so they seek something better than the last, and so on. 

So...

Only if you have felt pain (it does not have to be physical) are you able to experience that unique power of happiness and joy. That in no means means that you cannot feel happiness if you don't go through trial and hardship. 

That is why that trial and pain aren't necessarily bad, they're just a part of life and people need to learn to not hold grudges or pain with them if they can just rub it off to enjoy the supreme happiness that comes at the end.

The quote continues...

"... that we may be able to experience the enjoyments of living. Live, then, and be happy, beloved children of my heart, and never forget that until the day when God shall deign to reveal the future of man, all human wisdom is summed up in these two words, 'wait and hope.'"