The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance. The wise grows it under his feet.

The aphorism contrasts two orientations toward fulfillment: a restless, future- or elsewhere-focused pursuit versus a grounded practice of cultivating well-being in one’s present circumstances. “In the distance” suggests chasing idealized conditions—status, place, or time—while “under his feet” implies attention to what is immediately available: daily habits, relationships, gratitude, and purposeful work. Read this way, the line aligns with a pragmatic, almost stoic ethic: happiness is less a destination than a byproduct of how one lives now. Its force comes from the agricultural metaphor (“grows”), implying patience and cultivation rather than acquisition or conquest.