The Pocket Book of Happiness
The Bliss of Being Alive
When we approve of ourselves, rathar than always seeking approval from others, we find happiness.
The path to happiness is paved with dreams, but don’t forget to admire the beauty of the landscape as you travel.
Make your own happiness; it’s up to you.
People in difficult circumstances can be happy, while those who live a life of ease may be miserable.
If you’re unhappy, don’t try to hide it. Express it, then let it go.
Love can turn sorrow into happiness.
To be happy, you need to know that others love you for yourself, just as you are.
Solitude may bring happiness.
If you fear losing happiness, you must have some happiness to lose.
Happiness is meeting an old friend you haven’t seen for years, and picking up where you left off.
Sometimes happiness is free; sometimes, it comes at a cost.
Everyone has a different idea of happiness. Follow your own path, not someone else’s.
We often make ourselves unhappy by wanting contradictory things in life.
Don’t feel guilty if the things are supposed to make you happy fail to do so.
Having achieved a special goal in life can make you happy, but there may also be a feeling of anti-climax- before you begin to aim for a new one.
Happiness: a calm awarness of the present moment, of sensation, consciousness, thoughts, and perception.
The glass is half full for some people, half empty for others.
Becoming happy may simply involve a change of perspective.
A loving family and friends…that’s happiness.
Be happy you’re alive!
No one can be unhappy all the time, just as no one can be happy all the time.
Nature surviving in glorious simplicity makes us happy.
The person who lives in their own home, eats and lives simply, and has debt to anyone, is truly happy.
There is no way to happiness; happiness is the way.
You can’t expect to be happy all the time. Human beings are not made that way.
Make happiness your goal, and do whatever it takes to achieve it.
Don’t try to define what happiness is; instead, think about what makes you unhappy, and try to change it.
Happiness is a warm puppy.
Nurturing and loving someone is the key to happiness.
Once our basic needs are satisfied, our level of wealth has no effect on how happy we are.
Those who are valued by their community are often happier than those who achieve public success.
Listen to the purr of a cat: that’s the sound of happiness.
Happiness grows when you notice it.
People travel far and wide looking for happiness.
Sometimes, when they come back home, they find it waiting for them on the doorstep.
Loving relationships are the most important factor in happiness. Next comes work, and the meaning it can bring.
You’re a long time dead, so be happy in the short time you have to live.
Travel along the road of love, for at the end of the road lies happiness.
The smallest things in life bring happiness- watch a flower grow, or a bird fly by.
Happiness is contagious.
Happiness has a magical properties. It leads to long life, health, and resilence.
Watching a bee take nectar from a flower you’ve grown is a happy sight to see.
Like harmony in music, happiness is when every part of yourself comes together in agreement.
There is no happiness without dreams.
Being miserable involves certainty; being happy involves risk.
The story of wealth failing to translate into happiness is the story of the Western world.
Feel, show, and express your happiness, so that others can share it, too.
Even in a happy life, there are moments of despair.
Happiness, the thing we want most in life, is often achieved by giving it away.
Happiness is a natural outcome of being able to be oneself.
There is a connection betwwn being grateful and being happy. But who knows which one leads to the other?
Happiness is a full belly.
Activities that involves us in the natural world, whether feeding the birds, stroking the cat, or going for a country walk- help us to feel happier.
Happiness is a decision, involving choice, action, and faith.
Don’t envy other people’s happiness- what makes them happy might not have the same effect on you.
Whenever you feel creative, playful, or silly, you are close to being happy.
Happiness is a state of mind that is open, friendly, and positive.
The original meaning of the word ‘happiness’ is ‘good fortune’, or ‘luck’.
Gardens are the places we make to be happy in… with a little help from nature.
Happiness is the emotional aspect of health.
Being happy is known to boost the immune system.
Our happiness is threatened whenever we act in a way that is not true to ourselves.
In order to be happy, we must first know sadness.
Happiness is the absence of fear.
Achieving your goals is success; enjoying what you’ve achieved is happiness.
Sing when you’re happy- whatever you sound like!
Anticipation of a happy event can make you happier than the event itself.
Happiness is running outside after the first snowfall of winter, throwing snowballs, and making a snowman.
Remembered happiness is the most perfect.
A flower in bloom…a cloudless sky… a child’s laughter- these are the gifts that can make us happy, if we choose to let them.
Happiness is eating a peach, warmed by the sun.
Happiness is good for you. It produces endorphins, natural chemicals that act as painkillers.
Creativity is a catalyst for happiness.
People who touch and are receptive to touch are more likely to be happy.
Regular exercise boosts happiness, especially when performed with others.
A dog is a great comfort when you’re feeling unhappy, because it never asks why.
What makes us unhappy with ourselves is the exaggerated idea we have of the happiness of others.
Finding the way to be happy
Heal yourself with happy thoughts.
Don’t tell unhappy people how happy you are. Instead, use your happiness to help them…
You can find happiness in many different places. In the colours of a painting… in the clouds above your head…the earth under your feet… in the rosy pink sky of dawn…
and the pure white snow of winter…
Don’t refuse to accept the gift of happiness, just because you are afraid of losing it.
Happiness is a gift that cannot be bought.
If you approach work with passion and energy, it will help you to be happy.
Happiness is an adventure. Set out on it.
There are many roads to pleasure, but only one true path to happiness.
Happiness is curling up with a good book beside a crackling fire on a cold winter’s night.
Happiness is like a fruit- don’t eat it until it is ripe!
Sometimes we lose the key to happiness, not realizing that the door is always unlocked.
If we human beings had tails to wag when we’re happy, like dogs, we might understand each other better.
When we’re happy, we often don’t know it. When we’re unhappy, we always do.
If you have to ask what happiness is, you’ll never know.
A brief moment of happiness can lighten even the darkest despair.
Take a good long laugh at yourself…it may help to make you happy.
Don’t search for happiness itself. Instead, concentrate on the activities that make you feel happy.
Happiness can see you.
Can you see it?
To be happy in ife, it helps if you don’t think too much.
Happiness can make an ordinary sight beautiful.
The key to happiness is patience.
When you can think of yesterday without regret, and tomorrow without fear, then you are near to happiness.
A hearty meal, and good company to share with, is the perfect end to a happy day.
Happiness is not the fulfilment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have.
There are short cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them. (Vicki Baum)
Everyone deserves to be happy. It is within your power to become so.
Friendship is a cornerstone of happiness.
If you are a thoughtful, kind friend, you will be happier…whether or not your friends return the compliment.
Happiness is about having the right frame of mind, not the right circumstances.
Solitude can be a friend and guide, leading you to happiness.
Bringing love, luck, and happiness into your life takes hard work. It doesn’t happen by itself.
Kindness costs nothing, and can bring so much happiness.
Don’t resist change- if you do, you will turn happiness to sorrow.
Concentrate on the task in hand. However trivial, you will feel happier if you do it well.
Happiness opens the arms and close the eyes.
Happiness is like a perfurme. You cannot pour it on others without getting a few drops on yourself.
Only moments of happiness stay with us.
A merchant’s happiness hangs upon chance, wind, and waves. (Japanese proverb)
Sleep soundly and happiness may visit you in your dreams.
The creative play of the imagination is essential to human happiness.
To boost happiness, watch young children play- and join in the fun, if you can!
At the peak of happiness, we stop thinking. Instead, we find peace.
Valuing others, and being valued, as part of a family, community, is a certain path to happiness.
Make a list of things that make you happy. You’ll find there are more of them than you imagined…
Can you draw how it feels to be happy?
Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain.
The art of happiness is like any other- the more you practise it, the better you get at it.
Happy people don’t gave everything; they make the best of everything.
Creativity is within everyone’s reach- no exceptions. And to be creative, even in a small way, can bring great happiness.
Build a happiness habit.
List five things per day that have made you happy.
There is a crucial link between happiness and altruism, or ‘regard for others’.
Try to notice when you’re happy.
The front left side of the brain is the part that registers happiness, wellbeing and contentment.
Make sure to exercise it!
Simple meditation can boost happiness. Every day, find a few minutes to sit somewhere quiet. Close your eyes, breathe slowly, and just watch your thoughts come and go.
Activity
The Greek philosopher Aristotle saw happiness as ‘human flourishing’, or ‘working towards virtue’. Is happiness achieved through selfless dedication, work, or in other ways?
Work connects us to others, building a happier world for everyone.
Five keys to happier living: giving; relating; appreciating; accepting; questing.
It is rare to find a selfish person who is truly happy.
Finding new avenues for your talents in new ways increases happiness- your own, and that of others.
Research shows that the happiness of a close contact increases the chance of being happy by fifteen per cent.
Happiness fuels success, not the other way round.
Our genetic make-up is thought to influene about fifty per cent of the variation in our personal happiness. The rest is up to us!
Giving money away makes people feel happier than spending it on themselves.
If you’re feeling sad, don’t pretend to be happy. Be yourself, and the mood will pass.
Ten minutes of meditation per day can help us be happier, more optimistic, and more spiritually aware.
The way we interpret life events has a bearing on our happiness.
If we can first found our true purpose, and then pursue it, we may find happiness.
At the heart of a happy relationship is good communication.
People who have a vocation in life tend to be happier.
A simple ‘hello’ to a neighbour can make us feel happier and more secure about where we live.
Giving support and receiving it from others helps us to be happy.
Think about how and when you experience feelings of happiness in your life. It’s different for everyone.
Identify the situations, places, and people that make you unhappy. Then avoid them.
There is no happiness without struggle.
Don’t pressure yourself to be happy. Instead, create a positive mindseat: be open, appreciate, curious and kind.
A State of Being
In modern times, happiness is seen as a private emotional state, achieved through self-fulfilment. Is spiritual enlinghtenment, rathar tan activity, the way to happiness? Or is it, perhaps, a combination of both?
Kindness to others boosts happiness. It increases life satisfaction, provides a sense of meaning, and takes our minds off our own troubles.
A single moment of happiness can rub out hours of misery.
In the sight of a blue sky fills you with joy, be happy, for your soul is alive.
Think of unhappiness as a job you’ve walked out on.
Success is never a measure of happiness.
All joy in this world comes from wanting others to be happy, and all the suffering from wanting only oneself to be happy.
Meditation can lead to structural brain changes thought to be associated with happiness.
It takes commitment and determination to be happy.
The path to happiness can be steep, difficult and stony, while the path to misery can be downhill all the way.
The Cycle of Life
Being able to embrace the present, without worring about the past and the future, is crucial to being happy. But having an overview of the process of our entire lives is also necessary.
The sound of happiness is a running stream.
Happiness is the greatest gift a person can have or bestow.
To dwell on unhappiness is a waste of time. And wasting time is wasting life.
Do not base your happiness or material wealth. It can disappear all too quickly.
Don’t envy another’s happiness; instead, try to share in it.
The happy chatter of children is the sound of life.
Being unhappy is much easier than being happy.
We strive for happiness in our lives, and when we find it, we become afraid of losing it.
Making time and space for yourself will make you happier, however busy you are.
One of the joys of old age is knowing that you have lived a full, active and happy life. Make sure you come to experience that joy.
It is easy to see how happy other people are, but we sometimes have trouble noticing it in ourselves.
You have the right to feel happy, sad or angry, but not always the right to express those emotions whenever you want.
A happy life is a blessing, not just to the person who lives it, but to the whole world.
Be young, be foolish… but most of all, be happy.
How to attain happiness
If you stop looking for happiness, you may find it.
If you don’t ever wonder whether you are happy, you probably are.
Happiness comes when least expected; and departs just as suddenly.
Happiness is an activity, not an emotion.
If you want to be happy, live in the present.
Happiness always depends on wisdom.
Happiness is the only good. The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here. A child’s smile, a warm summer’s day; these are the gifts that make us happiest.
Try to be happy; but don’t try too hard.
Count your blessings rather than your cash; that way. You will be happy.
You may smile because you are happy; or smiling may make you happy.
The path to happiness is a pilgrimage that everyone must make for themselves.
When you cand admire, and not desire, you will have found the path to happiness.
Happiness is not all about you- it’s about sharing with others.
Happiness is a skill we can learn.
The path to happiness is simple- be kind to others, relax, and be thankful for what you have.
The ‘helper’s high’ is the rush of happiness you get from being kind to others.
Cherish all your happy moments; they make a fine cushion for old age.
The memory of happiness makes us sad.
Happiness breaks easily, like glass.
Whoever said money doesn’t buy happiness didn’t know where to shop!
When ambition ends, happiness begins.
Happiness spring-cleans the heart.
A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery while on a detour.
Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower.
The best vitamin to be a happy person is B1.
Happiness is not a horse; you cannot harness it.
Happiness is the feeling you’re feeling when you want to keep feeling it.
Happiness does not give, it only lends.
Happiness lies in the secret heart of a lover.
Happiness is a place between too little and too much.
For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness.
The world is full of people on a quest for happiness, never knowing that contentment is a place they already know.
He who plants garden plants happiness.
Happiness rarely keeps company with an empty stomach.
Where there is laughter, there is happiness.
Obedience is the mother of happiness.
Happiness is a field you can harvest at every season.
When we pursue happiness, we flee from contentment.
Happiness can grow from a tiny seed of contentment.
