Observations

 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11 (ESV)
 
"The ancient Thracians used to keep a box in their houses into which they dropped a white stone to mark the day when they were happy, as it was an event which so seldom occurred. Lord Nelson wrote to a friend, "I am persuaded there is no true happiness in this present state." Such was the mournful experience of one of the world's heroes, on whom plenty, pleasures and glory combined to wait and minister. Lord Byron writes to the poet Moore, "I have been counting over the days when I was happy since I was a boy, and cannot make them more than eleven, I wonder if I shall be able to make them a dozen before I die." (Biblical Illustrator)
 
Outside of the presence of God, there is no fullness, joy, or lasting pleasure in life. We can find that out by living life, or we can find that out by observing those who have lived and their conclusions about the life they lived.