The Pursuit of Happiness

Happiness has been defined by emperors, monks, physicists and poets, and they mostly agree it is not what the adverts say. The Buddha locates it in a trained mind; others here find it in gratitude, in work, in love, in low expectations wisely kept. Thirty-six attempts at the oldest question there is.

To learn and at due times to repeat what one has learnt, is that not after all a pleasure? — Confucius
To learn and at due times to repeat what one has learnt, is that not after all a pleasure?
Confucius
What you seek is seeking you. — Rumi
What you seek is seeking you.
Rumi
If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito. — Dalai Lama
If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.
Dalai Lama
A happy man is too satisfied with the present to dwell too much on the future. — Albert Einstein
A happy man is too satisfied with the present to dwell too much on the future.
Albert Einstein
The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts. — Marcus Aurelius
The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.
Marcus Aurelius
Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life. — Kahlil Gibran
Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life.
Kahlil Gibran
I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy. — Rabindranath Tagore
I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.
Rabindranath Tagore
The greatest blessing of mankind is within us and within our reach. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not. — Seneca
The greatest blessing of mankind is within us and within our reach. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not.
Seneca
Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. — Mahatma Gandhi
Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
Mahatma Gandhi
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. — Oscar Wilde
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
Oscar Wilde
The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate. — Oprah Winfrey
The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.
Oprah Winfrey
Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. — Nelson Mandela
Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward.
Nelson Mandela
Imagine all the people living life in peace. — John Lennon
Imagine all the people living life in peace.
John Lennon
And we should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once. — Friedrich Nietzsche
And we should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face. — Victor Hugo
Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.
Victor Hugo
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. — Albert Schweitzer
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success.
Albert Schweitzer
Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some. — Charles Dickens
Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.
Charles Dickens
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