The essence of philosophy is that a man should so live that his happiness shall depend as little as possible on external things. – Epictetus

If you plan on being anything less than you are capable of being, you will probably be unhappy all the days of your life. – Abraham Maslow

To get up each morning with the resolve to be happy is to set our own conditions to the events of each day. To do this is to condition circumstances instead of being conditioned by them. – Ralph Waldo Trine

It’s not true that life is one damn thing after another; it’s one damn thing over and over. – Edna St. Vincent Millay

If my heart can become pure and simple like that of a child, I think there probably can be no greater happiness than this. – Kitaro Nishida

Before we set our hearts too much upon anything, let us examine how happy those are who already possess it. – Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Happy is the person who knows what to remember of the past, what to enjoy of the present, and what to plan for in the future. – Arnold Glasgow

The U.S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. – Benjamin Franklin

Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy. – Benjamin Franklin

The only way to avoid being miserable is not to have enough leisure to wonder whether you are happy or not. – George Bernard Shaw

Objects that we ardently pursue bring little happiness when gained; most of our pleasures come from unexpected sources. – Herbert Spencer

Good things happen to those who hustle. – Anaïs Nin

It is better that some should be unhappy rather than that none should be happy, which would be the case in a general state of equality. – Samuel Johnson

He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition will waste his life in fruitless efforts. – Samuel Johnson

The summit of happiness is reached when a person is ready to be what he is. – Desiderius Erasmus

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