92 Happiness Quotes and Sayings to Inspire Happy Living
When do you feel happy? We don't need a one-size-fits-all concept of happiness. We know it when we experience it. According to Ancient Greek philosophers, we can separate it into two categories: the hedonic type for pleasure, comfort, and enjoyment, and the eudaimonic type for growth, meaning, and gratitude. Enjoy our happiness quotes that explore the many meanings of feeling happy, which are bound to bring a smile.
Quick links to our selection of happiness quotes:
Best Happiness Quotes
Being happy is a primary emotion we experience in every stage of our lives. And it's also subjective. Your reason for smiling varies differently from my reasons. But one thing remains constant. We are happier when we socialize.
An 80-year-long study by the Harvard Study of Adult Development studied the lives of 724 participants beginning in 1938. After various examinations throughout the study, maintaining quality relationships stood out as the reason for positively impacting the participants' well-being.
Check out our best happiness quotes that summarize the core of our collection. And feel free to share some of these uplifting words with a friend!
"Happiness depends upon ourselves."
- Aristotle
"A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness."
- Albert Einstein
"Wellness is associated with happiness. When you're happy, you're feeling good in your mind and body. That ties into being healthy, eating well, and exercising regularly. It also ties into being excited about things - like getting up in the morning and having a healthy breakfast."
- Stella Maxwell
"Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present."
- Jim Rohn
"The secret to life is finding joy in ordinary things. I'm interested in happiness."
- Ruth Reichl
"Happiness is only real when shared."
- Christopher McCandless
"There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power or our will."
- Epictetus
"The good life consists in deriving happiness by using your signature strengths every day in the main realms of living. The meaningful life adds one more component: using these same strengths to forward knowledge, power or goodness."
- Martin Seligman
Motivational Quotes About Happiness And How To Create It
Maintaining a positive attitude isn’t always easy, especially in an undesirable situation. Accepting reality is healthy, but staying in the negative for far too long is not. That's why we should always bring back brightness to our lives by taking action.
Even the simple things can brighten your day. Sometimes, it's as simple as pausing, connecting with nature, basking in the sunlight, and enjoying the quiet solitude.
If it's more complicated than usual, an effective way to be optimistic is through journaling. After reading our happiness quotes below, learn how to start a journal with an eco-friendly notebook. Or click on over to our positive morning affirmations for an am pick me up.
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
- Mahatma Gandhi
"To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him."
- Buddha
"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions."
- Dalai Lama
"Happiness is found in doing, not merely possessing."
- Napoleon Hill
"The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet."
- James Oppenheim
"Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking."
- Marcus Aurelius
"We must have courage to bet on our ideas, to take the calculated risk, and to act. Everyday living requires courage if life is to be effective and bring happiness."
- Maxwell Maltz
"I have learned to seek my happiness by limiting my desires, rather than in attempting to satisfy them."
- John Stuart Mill
"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
"No one is perfect... absolutely no one. Like precious stones, we have a few flaws, but why focus on that? Focus on what you like about yourself, and that will bring you happiness and peace."
- Richard Simmons
"If you want to be happy, do not dwell in the past, do not worry about the future, focus on living fully in the present."
- Roy T. Bennett
Happy Quotes About Enjoying Life's Journey
Do you often forget to savor life's joy when you overthink a bad memory from the past or dreams for the future? We all do this! As part of our evolution, we achieve stimulus-independent thoughts wherein what we think does not match the current sensory input. And based on a study, out of the 2,250 Americans, 46.9% experienced mind wandering, and it also made them less happy.
Even if living in the moment is not our mind's default, we can practice our way into it through mindfulness. And if you're still unsure of the future, you can check out the Japanese concept of Ikigai to find your purpose and happiness.
So, move on from the past, plan for the future, and protect your present by living in the moment with our happy quotes below.
"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude."
- Denis Waitley
"Are you bored with life? Then throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours."
- Dale Carnegie
"It is the ultimate luxury to combine passion and contribution. It's also a very clear path to happiness."
- Sheryl Sandberg
"The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it."
- Thich Nhat Hanh
"The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us."
- Ashley Montagu
"Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort."
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
"The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be."
- Marcel Pagnol
"I'm a very positive person. My grandmother taught me that happiness is both a skill and a decision, and you are responsible for the outcome."
- Helen McCrory
"It's OK to have a plan, to invest in your future - for your financial security, your love life, your personal fulfillment, and even your happiness. To have personal happiness as a stated goal doesn't detract from it if you get there."
- Karen Finerman
Positive Quotes About Happiness And Contentment
Contentment and happiness are two of the most sought-after feelings in life, yet they are also two of the most elusive. Messages that tell us that more money, branded clothes, and millions of friends are the goal of life bombard us. But, in reality, this philosophy is misguiding us. Instead, it is better to practice minimalism and appreciate the simple things in life.
So does it mean money can't buy happiness? It can! A Harvard Business School article summarized three studies that showed how money could lower stress and provide options.
By recognizing the joy and meaning in what we have, we can become content and enjoy life to the fullest. And take note that money is not the enemy! After reading our happiness quotes below, check out the other studies linked from the HBS article.
"You can be happy where you are."
- Joel Osteen
"Perfect happiness is a beautiful sunset, the giggle of a grandchild, the first snowfall. It's the little things that make happy moments, not the grand events. Joy comes in sips, not gulps."
- Sharon Draper
"A contented mind is the greatest blessing a man can enjoy in this world."
- Joseph Addison
"Happiness comes from living as you need to, as you want to. As your inner voice tells you to. Happiness comes from being who you actually are instead of who you think you are supposed to be."
- Shonda Rhimes
"The most important thing is to enjoy your life—to be happy—it's all that matters."
- Audrey Hepburn
"There's nothing like deep breaths after laughing that hard. Nothing in the world like a sore stomach for the right reasons."
- Stephen Chbosky
"Happiness is a matter of one's most ordinary and everyday mode of consciousness being busy and lively and unconcerned with self."
- Iris Murdoch
"Values are principles and ideas that bring meaning to the seemingly mundane experience of life. A meaningful life that ultimately brings happiness and pride requires you to respond to temptations as well as challenges with honor, dignity, and courage."
- Laura Schlessinger
"It is not in the pursuit of happiness that we find fulfillment, it is in the happiness of pursuit."
- Denis Waitley
"Joy, rather than happiness, is the goal of life, for joy is the emotion which accompanies our fulfilling our natures as human beings. It is based on the experience of one's identity as a being of worth and dignity."
- Rollo May
Happiness Quotes About Sharing Joy And Giving To Receive
Is finding what brings us long-lasting delight a challenge? We often forget that the best way to find our own happiness is to make others happy. A great example of this is the famous internet story involving balloons.
Imagine a room filled with dozens of balloons, all of different colors, shapes, and sizes. Each one has a name. It's much easier to find the balloon owned by someone else than to find the one that belongs to you. It is the same with happiness. It's much easier to make others happy than to make yourself pleased, and it can be gratifying.
After reading the happy quotes below, let your souls blossom by making someone's day.
"The happiness of one's own heart alone cannot satisfy the soul; one must try to include, as necessary to one's own happiness, the happiness of others."
- Paramahansa Yogananda
"If you want happiness for an hour—take a nap. If you want happiness for a day—go fishing. If you want happiness for a year—inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime—help someone else."
- Chinese Proverb
"There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved."
- George Sand
"The most worthwhile thing is to try to put happiness into the lives of others."
- Robert Baden-Powell
"My mantra is: Let there be happiness in my soul, and let me share it with the world."
- Alexandra Stoddard
"In my life I've learned that true happiness comes from giving. Helping others along the way makes you evaluate who you are. I think that love is what we're all searching for. I haven't come across anyone who didn't become a better person through love."
- Marla Gibbs
"Of all the means to insure happiness throughout the whole life, by far the most important is the acquisition of friends."
- Epicurus
"Your successes and happiness are forgiven you only if you generously consent to share them."
- Albert Camus
"I knew everything and received everything. But real happiness, is giving."
- Alain Delon
"A hug is like a boomerang you get it back right away."
- Bil Keane
"Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."
- Marcel Proust
Happy Quotes To Read And Pick You Up In Tough Times
Gaining happiness during tough times can be challenging, but it is possible. Instead of criticizing ourselves, we should accept our flaws. We should focus on what we can control rather than what we cannot. Practicing self-compassion and self-care is essential on the rocky roads of our life.
Watch how Dr. Kristin Neff, a self-compassion advocate, speaks more about this in her Ted Talk, or enjoy our compilation of some of the best positivity talks for more.
Free yourself from negative thoughts by browsing the following happy quotes. Remember to take deep breaths and be kind to yourself!
"Do not set aside your happiness. Do not wait to be happy in the future. The best time to be happy is always now."
- Roy T. Bennett
"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 that has been opened for us."
- Helen Keller
"For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"No medicine cures what happiness cannot."
- Gabriel García Márquez
"Feeling sorry for ourselves is the most useless waste of energy on the planet. It does absolutely no good. We can't let our circumstances or what others do or don't do control us. We can decide to be happy regardless."
- Joyce Meyer
"I never dwell on what happened. You can't change it. Move forward. Don't waste your energy on being angry at something that somebody did six months ago or a year ago. It's over. Done. Move forward."
- Joan Rivers
"Are you so unobservant as not to have found out that sanity and happiness are an impossible combination?"
- Mark Twain
"People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost."
- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
"It's so hard to forget pain, but it's even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace."
- Chuck Palahniuk
Famous Happy Quotes From Art And Literature
Hearing stories from famous people bring us a spectrum of joy, from Walt Disney, who created the happiest place on earth, to Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl who endured the Holocaust. That's two contrasting stories, yet both can teach us something about happiness.
After pondering over creating a safe and fun space for his daughters, Walt Disney reinvented amusement parks in the 1950s, resulting in the now-famous Disneyland. To this day, kids and even kids at heart love the dreamy park's whole experience.
On the other side, Anne Frank is a child born in a cruel period of our history. Yet, in her two years of hiding, she compiled in her red-checked diary her experiences and thoughts that brought inspiration and hope till today. Anne's story is a powerful reminder that happiness is present even in the darkest places.
Get more insights from famous people through their happy quotes below.
"Happiness is a state of mind. It's just according to the way you look at things."
- Walt Disney
"Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy."
- Anne Frank
"Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give."
- Eleanor Roosevelt
"Happiness consists more in small conveniences or pleasures that occur every day, than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom to a man in the course of his life."
- Benjamin Franklin
"Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears."
- John Lennon
"The world is full of a lot of fear and a lot of negativity, and a lot of judgment. I just think people need to start shifting into joy and happiness. As corny as it sounds, we need to make a shift."
- Ellen DeGeneres
"I am a spiritual person in an eastern religion kind of way. I learned that happiness for all of us is a switch that you flick in your brain. It doesn't have anything to do with getting a new house, a new car, a new girlfriend, or a new pair of shoes. Our culture is very much about that; we are never happy with what we have today."
- Tom Ford
"The mere sense of living is joy enough."
- Emily Dickinson
Perfect Happiness Quotes To Post On Social Media
More than connecting with people, social media can be an avenue for creativity and self-expression. Studies have shown that it can be a pathway to positive relationships1, self-concept, coping, personal growth, and happiness. From cat videos to tear-jerking true stories or from making someone laugh to inspiring through vulnerability, social media has brought so much joy to our daily lives.
Use the quotes below to make your online friends smile today and empower them with a bit of happiness and wisdom.
"The only thing that will make you happy is being happy with who you are, and not who people think you are."
- Goldie Hawn
"My happiness grows in direct proportion to my acceptance, and in inverse proportion to my expectations."
- Michael J. Fox
"Happiness isn't getting what you want, it's wanting what you got."
- Garth Brooks
"There is no such thing as the pursuit of happiness, but there is the discovery of joy."
- Joyce Grenfell
"Make space in your life, space for health and happiness."
- Kris Carr
"Happiness is a warm puppy."
- Charles M. Schulz
"Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower."
- John Harrigan
"In order to have great happiness you have to have great pain and unhappiness – otherwise how would you know when you're happy?"
- Leslie Caron
"I relate to happiness as an ecstatic moment - something you don't create, you encounter."
- Yoko Ono
"There is nothing that you can't overcome. So it's never too late for happiness."
- Pepa
"Being happy never goes out of style."
- Lilly Pulitzer
Other Short Happiness Captions By Authors And Poets
One of the most pleasurable activities is observing nature. Whether we visit a park, beach, or forest, we can find solace. Another way to appreciate nature is to go outside and participate in activities like hiking or gardening, which can bring a sense of accomplishment.
Before unplugging, use the rest of our happy quotes below on your social media posts. TRVST wishes you all the happiness you deserve!
"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."
- J.R.R. Tolkien
"Happiness is not a possession to be prized, it is a quality of thought, a state of mind."
- Daphne du Maurier
"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage."
- Anaïs Nin
"Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy."
- Guillaume Apollinaire
"Just do what must be done. This may not be happiness, but it is greatness."
- George Bernard Shaw
"A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not."
- Seneca
"Happiness is the harvest of a quiet eye."
- Austin O'Malley
"Growth itself contains the germ of happiness."
- Pearl S. Buck
"Curiosity is one of the great secrets of happiness."
- Bryant H. McGill
"Happiness is the cessation of suffering."
- Thich Nhat Hanh
A few more quotes about happiness to leave you with a smile 🙂
Because happiness is an inside job Some days, you just have to create your own sunshine.
~ Sam Sundquist
It's about more than just material objects It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.
~ Charles Spurgeon
One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats.
~ Iris Murdoch
A great reminder that it's okay to slow down sometimes Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.
~ Marthe Troly-Curtin
It truly is the best medicine We don't laugh because we're happy – we're happy because we laugh.
~ William James
Happiness is the best makeup.
~ Drew Barrymore
Happiness is making the most of what you have, and riches is making the most of what you've got.
~ Rosamunde Pilcher
| 1 | Vaingankar JA, van Dam RM, Samari E, Chang S, Seow E, Chua YC, Luo N, Verma S, Subramaniam M. Social Media-Driven Routes to Positive Mental Health Among Youth: Qualitative Enquiry and Concept Mapping Study. JMIR Pediatr Parent. 2022 Mar 4;5(1):e32758. doi: 10.2196/32758. |
Isabela is a determined millennial passionate about continuously seeking out ways to make an impact. With a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering with honors, Isabela’s research expertise and interest in artistic works, coupled with a creative mindset, offers readers a fresh take on different environmental, social, and personal development topics.
