81 Happiness Quotes That Will Light Up Your Day 😄

By Maxime Lagacé

Maxime is the founder and chief editor of WisdomQuotes. He has been collecting quotes since 2004. His goal? To help you develop a calm, peaceful and powerful mind. Learn more about him on his about page.

According to science, 40% of happiness is internal.

The other 50% is genetics. And the rest 10% is life circumstances.

It means you have a big chunk of that pie in your hands.

Now,

to light up your day, I’ve curated 81 of the best happiness quotes I could find.

And remember: the happiest people are the ones who chase nothing.

They just say “yes” to what happens.

You’ll discover quotes by Buddha, Emerson, Gandhi, and more.

Enjoy!

Happiness is an inside job. William Arthur Ward

Happiness comes from peace. Peace comes from indifference. Naval Ravikant

Happiness is a state where nothing is missing. Naval Ravikant

He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe. Marcus Aurelius

Life gets better when you accept more and reject less. Maxime Lagacé

happiness quotes three essentials something hope joseph addison wisdom

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

Happiness is not doing fun things. Happiness is doing meaningful things. Maxime Lagacé

You can only have bliss if you don’t chase it. Henepola Gunaratana

Difficult roads often leads to beautiful destinations.

It’s the little things in life.

happiness quotes attained self gratification purpose helen keller wisdom

True happiness is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose. Helen Keller

Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. Marthe Troly-Curtin

Happiness is a gift and the trick is not to expect it, but to delight in it when it comes. Charles Dickens

The truly wise and happy are never rushed. Maxime Lagacé

Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy. Guillaume Apollinaire

Related

Enjoying the quotes so far?

One thing I’ve noticed over the years is this: the happiest people don’t try so damn hard.

They simply do what they love, they are healthy, and they have a balanced life.

But most importantly, they let things be.

They learned that expectations kill happiness and that desire should be investigated.

The best part?

They know they can’t control most things that happen in their life. It means they don’t care about everything but only about the things that are truly important to them.

In sum,

self-knowledge helps them be happy.

The Best Happiness Quotes

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We don’t laugh because we’re happy – we’re happy because we laugh. William James

Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. Ludwig Jacobowski

That’s your unlimited desires that are clouding your peace, your happiness. Naval Ravikant

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

Enjoy it. Because it’s happening. Stephen Chbosky

When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us. Helen Keller

Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you respond to it. Lou Holtz

True happiness arises, in the first place, from the enjoyment of one’s self. Joseph Addison

You are completely in control of your own happiness, and you have no control over the happiness of others. Naval Ravikant (Source)

Happiness, not in another place but this place…not for another hour, but this hour. Walt Whitman

Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be. Abraham Lincoln

Happiness is a direction, not a place. Sydney J. Harris

Seek it outside and you’ll be exhausted. Seek it inside and you’ll find a path. Maxime Lagacé

It’s the moments that I stopped just to be, rather than do, that have given me true happiness. Richard Branson

I am very happy because I have conquered myself and not the world. I am very happy because I have loved the world and not myself. Sri Chinmoy

Happiness? That’s nothing more than health and a poor memory. Albert Schweitzer

What a wonderful life I’ve had! I only wish I’d realized it sooner. Colette

If you want to be happy, be. Leo Tolstoy

Tension is who you think you should be, relaxation is who you are. Chinese proverb

My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style. Maya Angelou

Our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed us, but is always the result of a good conscience, good health, occupation, and freedom in all just pursuits. Thomas Jefferson

People don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer when they’re happy. Anton Chekhov

Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get. Dale Carnegie

Part 2. Happiness Quotes That ARE…

The Most Famous Happiness Quotes

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Searching for a famous happiness quote? Check out those by Einstein, Mark Twain, Buddha, etc.

Happiness depends upon ourselves. Aristotle

Learn to value yourself, which means: fight for your happiness. Ayn Rand

The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up. Mark Twain

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

Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions. 14th Dalai Lama

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

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. 14th Dalai Lama

Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. Buddha

In our lives, change is unavoidable, loss is unavoidable. In the adaptability and ease with which we experience change, lies our happiness and freedom. Buddha

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For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know. Ernest Hemingway

The most important thing is to enjoy your life – to be happy – it’s all that matters. Audrey Hepburn

The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time. Friedrich Nietzsche

Happy is the hearing man; unhappy the speaking man. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Indeed, man wishes to be happy even when he so lives as to make happiness impossible. Augustine of Hippo

If you aren’t grateful for what you already have, what makes you think you would be happy with more. Roy T. Bennett

Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile. Albert Einstein

Related: Stumbling on Happiness (Amazon book)

Short Happiness Quotes

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One-liners, short happiness quotes for your bio, social status, self-talk, motto, mantra, signs, posters, wallpapers, and backgrounds.

Stop being busy. Start being present. Maxime Lagacé

The constant happiness is curiosity. Alice Munro

Be happy. It’s one way of being wise. Colette

The secret of happy life lies in renunciation. Mahatma Gandhi

Say “no” more often so you can say “yes” to what’s important. Maxime Lagacé

Being happy is being satisfied. Being satisfied means accepting. Maxime Lagacé

It is more fitting for a man to laugh at life than to lament over it. Seneca

Today might not be perfect, but it’s a perfect day to be happy. Lori Deschene

We will never be this young again, do what makes you happy. Gary Goodridge (Source)

Happiness is not out there, it’s in you.

Doing what you were born to do… That’s the way to be happy. Agnes Martin

Happiness is something that multiplies when it is divided. Paulo Coelho (Source)

Being happy is not the only happiness. Alice Walker

Happiness requires acceptance. Maxime Lagacé

Happiness is inversely correlated with desire. Unknown

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet. James Oppenheim

It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness. Charles Spurgeon

Truly happy people don’t need to show others that they are. Maxime Lagacé

All happiness depends on courage and work. Honoré de Balzac

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

Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon. Winnie the Pooh

Whoever is happy will make others happy. Anne Frank

There is no happiness; there are only moments of happiness.

There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved. George Sand

A happy life is a simple life. Maxime Lagacé

I’m happy. Which often looks like crazy. David Henry Hwang

Conclusion

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Everything is a gift of the universe – even joy, anger, jealously, frustration, or separateness. Everything is perfect either for our growth or our enjoyment. Ken Keyes Jr

Let’s recap:

Happiness is internal, not external.
Materialism has never made anyone happy. Don’t waste your time, energy, and money on stuff.
What leads to true happiness?
- Being healthy
- Helping others
- Self-understanding
- Being well surrounded
- Doing what you love often
- Not trying to control everything, letting go
Remember: Don’t care about too much stuff, what other people think, what society advocates. Lead YOUR life.
Who’s the happiest person? The one not seeking happiness. “The unhappy seek. The happy enjoy.”

81 Happiness Quotes That Will Light Up Your Day 😄

The Best Happiness Quotes

Part 2. Happiness Quotes That ARE…

The Most Famous Happiness Quotes

Short Happiness Quotes

Conclusion

Further Readings

Table Of Contents