Quotes On Happiness
People have contemplated happiness since the beginning of time and there are many thoughts and theories out there on what makes us happy. In reviewing the best known quotes on happiness, however, definite themes begin to emerge. Some of these themes include, happiness is what all humans desire, and that sometimes the pursuit of happiness may actually keep us from finding it. Many also talk about the importance of love for happiness, being open and sharing with others, and how our thoughts determine our happiness levels.
As you read through these quotes, what themes do you see? How can you apply them to your own life? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
1. Happiness Seizes Us: “The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us.” ~ Ashley Montagu
2. Happiness Makes You Pretty: “I think happiness is what makes you pretty. Period. Happy people are beautiful. They become like a mirror and they reflect that happiness.” ~ Drew Barrymore
3. Being Happy Makes Others Happy: “Whoever is happy will make others happy.” ~ Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl
Quotes on The Secrets to Happiness
What are your secrets to happiness? Is it celebrating the little things? Personal growth and development? Feeling love and caring for others? Here are some of the most famous quotes about the secrets to happiness:
4. Enjoy the Little Things: “One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats.” ~ Iris Murdoch
5. Happiness is the Little Things: “Remember this, that very little is needed to make a happy life.” ~ Marcus Aurelius
6. Personal Growth Makes Us Happy: “Growth itself contains the germ of happiness.” ~Pearl S. Buck
7. Happiness Comes From Action: “Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” ~Dalai Lama XIV
8. Love Others: “Happiness is in your ability to love others.” ~Leo Tolstoy
9. Rules: “Rules for Happiness: something to do, someone to love, something to hope for.” ~ Immanuel Kant
10. Be Open and Vulnerable: “You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness.” ~ Jonathan Safran Foer
Quotes On the Importance of Being Present
Perhaps the most mentioned thought about happiness is the importance of being present. To be present, we must let go of what happened in the past, or what may or may not happen in the future. Letting go of these things allows us to focus on the now, which is where happiness is really located.
As Eckhart Tolle, one of my favorite authors, so eloquently puts it in The Power of Now, living in the now is the truest path to happiness and enlightenment. He calls being present our primary purpose in life, everything else is a secondary purpose. Here are some of the most famous quotes on happiness related to being present:
11. Just Be Present and Allow Yourself to Be Happy: “You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.”
― Albert Camus
12. Happiness is in the Now: “Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.” ~ Andy Rooney
13. Stop Thinking About It, Just Be Happy: “Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.” ~ Guillaume Apollinaire
14. Happiness in in the Moment: “It is only possible to live happily ever after on a daily basis.” ~ Margaret Bonanno
15. Be Present: “There is no path to happiness: happiness is the path.” ~Gautama Buddha
16. Let Go of the Past: “I heard a definition once: Happiness is health and a short memory! I wish I’d invented it, because it is very true.” ~ Audrey Hepburn
Quotes On How Our Thoughts Determine Happiness
How we perceive the world and others through our thoughts greatly determines our happiness in life. According to Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology, 60 percent of happiness is determined by our genetics and environment, the remaining 40 percent is based on our attitude, thoughts, and perceptions of the world around us. His research seems to be supported by the following quotes on happiness:
17. Your Thoughts Determine Your Happiness: “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” ~ Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
18. Happiness is a Choice: “People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
19. Live in Harmony: “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
20. Be Open to Happiness: “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” ~ Helen Keller
21. Happiness is a Choice: “I’m choosing happiness over suffering, I know I am. I’m making space for the unknown future to fill up my life with yet-to-come surprises.” ~ Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love
What are your secrets to happiness? Do you have a favorite quote on happiness? Let’s discuss in the comments below 🙂
Wishing you much happiness!
Monica 🙂
Leave a Reply