Final Thoughts Of 2009

Here is a collection of quotes from various people who have given some thought to the subject of happiness, the ultimate goal of life in my opinion. Enjoy!

Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love and something to hope for. (Joseph Addison)

There may be peace without joy, and joy without peace, but the two combined make happiness. (John Buchan)

Happiness is a byproduct of function, purpose, and conflict; those who seek happiness for itself seek victory without war. (William S. Burroughs)

The only true happiness comes from squandering ourselves for a purpose. (William Cowper)

Such happiness as life is capable of comes from the full participation of all our powers in the endeavor to wrest from each changing situations of experience its own full and unique meaning. (John Dewey)

When what we are is what we want to be, that’s happiness. (Malcolm Forbes)

Success is getting what you want. Happiness is liking what you get. (H. Jackson Brown)

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. (Mahatma Gandhi)

Happiness… it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. (Vincent van Gogh)

Happiness consists in activity – it is a running stream, not a stagnant pool. (John Mason Good)

Happiness is not a destination. It is a method of life. (Burton Hills)

The happy people are those who are producing something… (William Ralph Inge)

It is neither wealth nor splendor, but tranquility and occupation, which give happiness. (Thomas Jefferson)

The greatest happiness in life is to be truly and consistently creative. (Peter Koestenbaum)

Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony. (Thomas Merton)

Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of one’s values. (Ayn Rand)

Work lovingly done is the secret of all order and all happiness. (Pierre-Auguste Renoir)

Every form of happiness is private. Our greatest moments are personal, self-motivated, not to be touched. (Ayn Rand)

Happiness is not an accident. Nor is it something you wish for. Happiness is something you design. (Jim Rohn)

Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort. (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling. (Margaret Lee Runbeck)

To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness. (Bertrand Russell)

One is happy as a result of one’s own efforts, once one knows the necessary ingredients of happiness – simple tastes, a certain degree of courage, self-denial to a point, love of work, and, above all, a clear conscience. Happiness is no vague dream, of that I now feel certain. (George Sand)

Most true happiness comes from one’s inner life… It takes reflection and contemplation and self-discipline. (William L Shirer)

Happiness is not in our circumstances… It is not something we see, like a rainbow, or feel, like the heat of a fire. Happiness is something we are. (John B. Sheerin)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness. (Frank Tyger)

As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well spent brings happy death. (Leonardo da Vinci)