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Happiness Quotes

    “A lot of motivational speakers will tell you that the point of life is to be happy… I think that’s bullsh*t.  I think that happiness is an emotion—it’s some dopamine firing in your brain and it’s great and it’s awesome when it happens.  But we can’t chase happiness—we have to chase deep satisfaction and pride—and there’s a difference.  And the way that we do that is not by running away from our pain or sickness, it’s by being sick and saying, ‘So what?'” ~ Claire Wineland (19), Zappos All Hands Meeting

      “We teach sick people that when they are sick, somehow, someway, they cannot be as happy as normal, healthy people.  We teach them that their happiness, their contentment in life, their joy in life, is tied to how healthy they are.” ~ Claire Wineland, Klick MUSE New York

        “Some of the happiest moments in my life have been when I am sick in the hospital—honestly.  And think about the implications of that because I have lived the kind of life that all of you spend your entire lives running from.  I’ve been sick and dying my entire life.  And yet, I am so proud of my life.  What does that say?  We’re waiting to be healthy; we’re waiting to be wealthy; we’re waiting to find our passion; we’re waiting to find our true love before we actually start living!  Instead of looking at everything that we have—looking at all of the pain, looking at all of the sadness, looking at all of the beauty, and making something with that.  That’s how innovation happens.” ~ Claire Wineland, Klick MUSE New York

          “We have to live with peace and joy right away and not wait for the future to do it.  We have to be well right now, right here, peaceful and joyful in the present moment.  There is no way to happiness—happiness is the way.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh, No Death, No Fear

            “Watering the seeds of happiness is a very important practice for the sick or dying.  All of us have seeds of happiness inside us, and in difficult moments when we are sick or when we are dying, there should be a friend sitting with us to help us touch the seeds of happiness within.  Otherwise seeds of fear, of regret or of despair can easily overwhelm us.”

            Thich Nhat Hanh, No Death, No Fear

              “Only a free person can be a happy person.  The amount of happiness that you have depends on the amount of freedom that you have in your heart.  Freedom here is not political freedom.  Freedom here is freedom from regret, freedom from fear, from anxiety and sorrow.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh, No Death, No Fear

                “In our daily life, we tend to believe that happiness is only possible in the future.  We are always looking for better things, the right conditions to make us happy.  We run away from what is happening right in front of us.  We try to find things that make us feel more solid, more safe and secure.  But we are afraid all the time of what the future will bring.  We are afraid we’ll lose our jobs, our possessions, the people around us whom we love.  So we wait for the magical moment—sometime in the future—when everything will be as we like, as we want it to be.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh, No Death, No Fear

                  “Happiness arrives from many directions.  If you have a notion that it comes only from one direction, you will miss all of these other opportunities because you want happiness to come only from the direction you want.  You say, ‘I would rather die than marry anyone but her.  I would rather die than lose my job, my reputation.  I cannot be happy if I don’t get that degree or that promotion or that house.’  You have put many conditions on your happiness.  And then, even if you do have all your conditions met, you still won’t be happy.  You will just keep creating new conditions for your happiness.  You will still want the higher degree, the better job and the more beautiful house.  Please remember that your notions of happiness may be very dangerous.  The Buddha said happiness can only be possible in the here and now. ” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh, No Death, No Fear

                    “Someday when we die we will lose all our possessions, our power, our family, everything.  Our freedom, peace and joy in the present moment is the most important thing we have.  But without an awakened understanding of impermanence, it is not possible to be happy.”

                    Thich Nhat Hanh, No Death, No Fear