Friday, June 25, 2010

Happiness is Free...

Some Thoughts on Happiness...



  • Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want, so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want. ~Margaret Young
  • Most people would rather be certain they're miserable, than risk being happy. ~Robert Anthony
  • Happiness is always a by-product. It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything I know it may be glandular. But it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you had better stop worrying about it and see what treasures you can pluck from your own brand of unhappiness. ~Robertson Davies
  • Indeed, man wishes to be happy even when he so lives as to make happiness impossible. ~St. Augustine
  • We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. ~Frederick Keonig
  • Is it not clear, however, that bliss and envy are the numerator and denominator of the fraction called happiness? ~Yevgeny Zamyatin
  • He is rich or poor according to what he is, not according to what he has. ~Henry Ward Beecher
  • Happiness grows at our own firesides, and is not to be picked in strangers' gardens. ~Douglas Jerrold
  • 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
  • To be happy, we must not be too concerned with others. ~Albert Camus, The Fall, 1956
  • Some pursue happiness, others create it. ~Author Unknown
  • 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, or looking for dinosaur eggs in the Gobi desert. He will not be searching for happiness as if it were a collar button that has rolled under the radiator. He will not be striving for it as a goal in itself. He will have become aware that he is happy in the course of living life twenty-four crowded hours of the day. ~W. Beran Wolfe
  • Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response. ~Mildred Barthel
  • The best way for a person to have happy thoughts is to count his blessings and not his cash. ~Author Unknown

15 comments:

  1. I love the quote from W. Beran Wolfe "...He will not be searching for happiness as if it were a collar button that has rolled under the radiator."

    This is so true, there isn't a day that the skies magically open up and a ray of sunshine beams down on you as to say "ok, today you can be happy.." I have found that I am happiest when I am busiest, productive, enjoying my passion in life (painting) and helping others and empowering them in whatever manner I can.

    Sitting and ruminating in the shadows of your mind about such things you can't control, doesn't edify your soul. Instead it depletes it. That is not to say we shouldn't ponder the atrocities that affect us, just make a decision what you can do or not do about it and leave the rest.

    ~Desi

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  2. Good points Desi!

    Finding happiness within ourselves should be everyone's ultimate goal in the life that we are living. Self happiness = resilient happiness, which gets you through tough times in life you have no control over.

    MaryDeluxe

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  3. So, so true. Since leaving my awful job I am so much freer and happier; I can take the day slowly, do my knitting or gardening, and spend more time with people that make me happier. I'm much happier than when I had a job, an ok wage and when I was buying lots of stuff, just for the sake of it.

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  4. Great post!
    I definitely appreciate the quote by Frederick Keonig.
    A person's happiness is truly dependent on the internal, not the external. It is also important to remember that the little things do count, maybe even as much if not moreso than the big things. Remember to laugh as much as possible even at the insanity that is sometimes life. Life is good. (This was typed while sitting in my backyard enjoying the views, the sounds of music, and a George Hornsbys Cider Ale, proving that the external can influence one's sense of happiness). :)

    Touchofevil!

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  5. Thank you for finding and posting those.

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  6. Luv, Luv, Luvin' those quotes!!

    Especially Henry Ward Beecher and Douglas Jerrold.

    Thank you Soul Sister, have a great weekend, and a happy, happy life!

    Live Life Happy!

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  7. Happiness grows at our own firesides, and is not to be picked in strangers' gardens. ~Douglas Jerrold

    I really need to live more in accordance with this quote! If staying at home with a DVD instead of going out partying makes me happiest, so be it! I shouldn't look at other people's social diaries and judge my own because I'm not 'living enough' like a person of my age is typically pressured to do.

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  8. A happy post!
    I read about some research recently that showed that people who spend their money on EXPERIENCES are happier than people who spend their money on THINGS! Very true.

    Have a happy weekend!
    Miss P xx

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  9. Thanks MD, your post is just what I needed, and thanks Desi your comments beautifully reinforced what I needed to be reminded of. Thank you both for your gift of words :)

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  10. Great post!

    I am blessed with a naturally happy disposition, and I've had some very tough times but usually I'm happy, I know I'm lucky, happiness is not something to be searched for it is definately within.

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  11. This lovely post was just what I needed(i got on a bad bus!), it has cheered me up no end. Thanks.

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  12. Touchofevil...what the hay...did you get a blog account?? Are you going legit?? hehehe :)

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  13. You are all welcome!! My pleasure! Happiness is free...don't let anyone keep you from your happiness!

    Little Miss B...I'm sorry to hear about your bad bus trip...it happens not all bus routes are the right one at the right time...that's why it's always important to wear comfortable shoes!

    Straight Talking Mama...me too! I think it must be tough to not have such a positive out look on life...Ive known people like that in life and I just can't stand being around them...so i just run to the nearest exit and be on my way!

    phenolicfanatic...I hope things are going well for you in your new place...and that you're having lots of fun decorating!

    Miss Emmi...you're not missing anything...except maybe a little bit of shallow drama! hahaha

    Miss P ...aint that the truth!

    Happy weekend all!

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  14. That is such a great collection of quotes.

    I should bookmark this to re read when I'm in a terrible mood!

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