16 Quotes About Happiness & Joy
The traditions disagree about almost everything except this: happiness is a by-product, never a target. These quotes point at the life that produces it rather than the feeling itself.
“Happiness is not something that happens. It is not the result of good fortune or random chance. It does not depend on outside events, but rather, on how we interpret them.”
“Hygge is the art of creating intimacy: a sense of comradeship, conviviality, and contentment rolled into one.”
“There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy.”
“Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realise there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”
“The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.”
“Happiness consists more in small conveniences or pleasures that occur every day, than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom.”
“Hearken to your wife. Make her happy as long as you live. She is a fertile field for her lord. Do not contend with her in court.”
“Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period.”
“The good life is not about searching for happiness. It is about doing what is meaningful, in small and difficult moments.”
“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”
“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.”
“I love Thee with two loves — love for my own happiness, and perfect love, to love Thee as is Thy due.”
“When you are content to be simply yourself and do not compare or compete, everybody will respect you.”
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
“The purpose of our lives is to be happy.”
“All the suffering in the world comes from seeking pleasure for oneself. All the happiness in the world comes from seeking pleasure for others.”