“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
“What you get will never make you happy; who you become will make you very happy or very sad.” ~ Jim Rohn, via Money: Master the Game
“Is it true that money cannot buy happiness? Yes, it is true. Money cannot buy happiness—but it makes misery more comfortable. That’s why I am not against money—I am all for it. It is better to be comfortably miserable than uncomfortably miserable. I have lived in poverty and I have lived in richness, and believe me: Richness is far better than poverty. I want you to be rich in every possible way—material, psychological, spiritual. I want you to live the richest life that has ever been lived on the earth.” ~ Osho, Fame, Fortune, and Ambition
“If you drop the mind, suddenly you become happy for no reason at all. Then happiness is just natural, just as you breathe. For breathing, you need not be even aware; you simply go on breathing. Conscious, unconscious, awake, asleep—you go on breathing. Happiness is exactly like that.” ~ Osho, Fame, Fortune, and Ambition
“In the ultimate analysis of life, name and fame are just irrelevant. All that matters in the final reckoning is how you lived each moment of your life. Was it a joy, was it a celebration? In small things, were you happy? Taking a bath, sipping tea, cleaning the floor, roaming around the garden, planting trees, talking to a friend, or sitting silently with your beloved, or looking at the moon, or just listening to the birds—were you happy in all these moments? Was each moment a transformed moment of luminous happiness, was it radiant with joy? That’s what matters.” ~ Osho, Fame, Fortune, and Ambition
