“What is happiness?” There are basically two kinds of people who ask this question. The first sort asks the question in an attempt to prove to themselves and others that their present circumstance makes it impossible for them to be happy. The second sort of person asks the question genuinely, seeking answers, and open to the wisdom of those “older and wiser.”
If you are really interested in understanding how to obtain happiness, try reflecting upon and then rewriting the following in your own words.
"Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty." (Eliphaz to Job, in Job 5:17)
"Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding…he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he…whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he…But happy is he who keeps the law." (King Solomon)
"I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve." (Albert Schweitzer)
"I think I began learning long ago that those who are happiest are those who do the most for others." (Booker T. Washington)
"If only we'd stop trying to be happy we'd have a pretty good time." (Edith Wharton)
"You can never get enough of what you don't need to make you happy." (Eric Hoffer)
"The true way to render ourselves happy is to love our work and find in it our pleasure." (Francoise De Motteville)
"Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within. It is not what we see and touch or that which others do for us which makes us happy; it is that which we think and feel and do, first for the other fellow and then for ourselves." (Helen Keller)
"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)
"Many people have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose." (Helen Keller)
"All seasons are beautiful for the person who carries happiness within." (Horace Fries)
"Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves." (James M. Barrie)
"The mind is its own place, and in itself, can make heaven of Hell, and a hell of Heaven." (John Milton)
"The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers." (Scott Peck)
"The greatest part of our happiness depends on our dispositions, not our circumstances." (Martha Washington)
"There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life -- happiness, freedom, and peace of mind -- are always attained by giving them to someone else." (Peyton Conway March)
"Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
"If you observe a really happy man you will find him building a boat, writing a symphony, educating his son, growing double dahlias in his garden. He will not be searching for happiness as if it were a collar button that has rolled under the radiator." (W. Beran Wolfe)
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