“People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
?Abraham Lincoln
It usually isn’t what you have, where you are, or what you’ve been through that makes you happy or unhappy, it’s how you think about it all. It starts on the inside. You control your thoughts. The only person who can hurt your happiness in the long run is YOU.
Here are 50 thought-provoking quotes about happiness gathered from our book and blog archive that will help you think on the bright side.
- It only takes one person to make you happy and change your life: YOU.
- Your life will improve only when you take small chances, and the first and most difficult chance you can take is to be honest with yourself.
- Stop focusing on how stressed you are and remember how blessed you are. It could be so much worse.
- It is not what happens to you, but how you respond to what happens to you. Count your blessings while others are adding up their troubles.
- Look for something positive about this moment. Even if you have to look a little harder than usual, it still exists.
- When you smile about the life you live, you end up living a life worth smiling about.
- Remember, social comparison is the thief of happiness. You could spend a lifetime worrying about what others have, but it wouldn’t get you anything.
- Happiness comes more easily when you feel good about yourself without feeling the need for anyone else’s approval.
- Be nice to people on your way up because you might meet them again on your way back down.
- Set an example. Treat everyone with kindness and respect, even those who are rude to you – not because they are nice, but because you are. (Read The Four Agreements.)
- Kindness is not to be mistaken for weakness, nor forgiveness for acceptance. It’s about knowing resentment of any kind is not on the path to happiness.
- Give as much as you can, but don’t allow yourself to be used. Listen to others closely, but don’t lose your own voice.
- Say what you need to say. Speak your truth. There is no greater sadness than holding on to the words you never had the courage to speak.
- You can’t change how people treat you or what they say about you. All you can do is change how you react and who you choose to be around.
- Negative company will never give you a positive life. Examine what you tolerate in the long-term.
- What you allow is what will continue. It’s always better to spend more time alone than allow negative people and their opinions to derail you from your destiny.
- When other people treat you poorly, walk away, smile and keep being YOU. Don’t ever let someone else’s bitterness change the person you are.
- Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth. It’s their loss, not yours.
- One of the most freeing things we learn in life is that we don’t have to like everyone, everyone doesn’t have to like us, and that’s OK.
- When someone says, “You’ve changed,” it’s not always a bad thing. Sometimes it just means you stopped living your life their way.
- Never be ashamed of how you feel. You have the right to feel any emotion that comes to you, and to follow a path that makes you happy.
- The unhappiest people in this world are the people who care the most about what everyone else thinks.
- You can’t base your idea of success and happiness on other people’s opinions and expectations. (Read 1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently.)
- Happiness and success is all about spending your life in your own way. Be yourself. No one can ever tell you you’re doing it wrong.
- It’s always better to be at the bottom of the ladder you want to climb than the top of the one you don’t.
- Work to create a life that feels right to YOU, not one that looks right to everyone else.
- No amount of money will make you happy if you aren’t happy with yourself.
- Maybe the thing you’re scared of is exactly what you should do. Sometimes life is about risking it all for a dream no one can see but you.
- You can’t always wait for the perfect moment. Sometimes you must dare to do it because life is too short to regret and wonder what could have been.
- The most reliable way to predict the future is to create it. Participate in life instead of just watching it pass you by.
- Nothing’s more fun than doing what people say you can’t do.
- Almost anything is possible if you’ve got enough time and enough nerve.
- Great challenges make life interesting; overcoming them makes life meaningful. It’s how you deal with failure that determines your happiness and success.
- Let your mistakes be your motivation, not your excuses. Decide right now that negative experiences from your past won’t predict your future.
- What is coming is better than what is gone. Don’t give up hope. Good things often happen when you least expect it.
- If you take another step, and another, you will be surprised to know how far you can go from the point you thought was the end.
- Nothing is more beautiful and powerful than a smile that has struggled through the tears.
- Any fool can be happy when times are good. It takes a strong soul with real heart to develop smiles out of situations that make us weep.
- No matter how long it takes, it will get better. Tough situations build strong people in the end.
- As we grow older and wiser, we begin to realize what we need and what we need to leave behind. Sometimes walking away is a step forward.
- At the end of the day, you can either focus on what’s tearing you apart, or what’s holding you together.
- One of the most rewarding moments in life is when you finally find the courage to let go of what you can’t change.
- Whatever you do, don’t get stuck on the one thing that ruins your day. Smile and be grateful. Life is too short to waste on negativity.
- The less you expect, the more pleasant life gets.
- Patience can be bitter, but the seeds you plant now will bear sweet fruit. (Read Flourish.)
- Live simply. Love generously. Speak truthfully. Breathe deeply. Do your best. Leave everything else to the powers above you.
- Do not dwell so much on creating your perfect life that you forget to live.
- The trick is to enjoy your life today. Don’t wish it away by waiting for better days ahead.
- Pay attention to the little things, because when you really miss “the good old days,” you miss the little things the most, like just laughing with someone special.
- Go for long walks. Indulge in great conversations. Pay attention to the moment. Count your blessings. Let go for a little while and just be and breathe.
Your turn…
What’s one quote or personal reminder that has helped you think happier thoughts and live more positively? Please share it with us by leaving a reply below.
Photo by: Rick Harrison
Frances Masters says
These quotes are great! Love number 10. Set an example. Treat everyone with kindness and respect, even those who are rude to you – not because they are nice, but because you are.
I’ve added a couple to my most recent blog post.
Thanks!
Frances
Jonathan says
You have to start looking at your life from the right perspective.
Robin says
“Life is too short to deal with unnecessary BS.” ~ my brother, Otto, said this on several occasions. The fact that his life was short, gives it even more meaning to me.
pinky says
These quotes are so… amazing!
The quote I wanted to add to this is: “If the loser smiles after losing the game, the sorry winner loses some of the the thrill of the victory. (That’s the power of SMILE:)”
Life is awesome says
“Be yourself cause those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”
This is the quote that made me stop caring what others think and be happier with being myself.
Courtney says
“It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.”
or
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.”
Manish says
I was feeling bit sad because somebody (Very close friend) said something to me. It was killing me inside.
I stumbled upon to this page and read this quote:
“Whatever you do, don’t get stuck on the one thing that ruins your day. Smile and be grateful. Life is too short to waste on negativity.”
I felt better instantly. What I was doing was getting stuck on what he said without even realizing.
I choose to let go and smile and be happy.
Thanks a lot for this wonderful collection of quotes Angel Chernoff
Have a great day!
Thanks,
Manish from India
Elaine Reynolds says
Language is so powerful. I once suggested a friend pay attention to their negative thinking. He wrote down every comment he noticed and was very angry at me for the suggestion. He said he felt ten times worse.
He had failed to hear the rest of my suggestion: To turn each negative thought into a positive one.
Jordon Richards says
“difficulty is a state of mind”
one of my track coaches told me this quote and it has inspired my life ever since!
Alicia says
Worrying is like praying for something you don’t want.
Melissa Jalil says
Thanks for the happiness quotes!
I love it
jo says
“This too shall pass” has gotten me through a lot!
Winnie Mark says
Lovely quotes…
Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
Leafios says
“Learn today so you can live tomorrow, but love always.”
“Torture in life is inevitable. Pain, however, is optional.”
“*Autobiography: The story of ones life written by themselves.* Make life your autobiography.”
Mikel Bee says
It all starts with YOU! Abraham Lincoln said it best….”people are just as happy as they make up their minds to be”….Thank you for these 50 life altering quotes!
Fateme says
These inspiring quotes are exceptional.
Thanks a lot!
charlotte Saldivar says
Every quote here inspires me, every time I read it. They give me more positive ideas on how to become stronger in my everyday life.
Thanks!
Heather says
Loved these. Very inspiring!
My favorite quote is, “Failure doesn’t come from trying and never succeeding. Failure comes from succeeding at never trying.”
MJ a.k.a Butter Girl says
Life is beautiful. I love all the quotes here. So inspiring. Thanks.
Michelle says
“Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans” John Lennon
Reminds me not to get to wrapped up in day to day chaos and just enjoy the little things spent with family and friends.
PRIYA says
Inspiring quotes. Made me smile.
susan says
I love these happiness quotes — they really help change my mindset!
blossomj says
Success is not measured based on money, achievements, or fame but it is measured by you on how contented you are with your life. Always feel successful everyday!
AKRAMUL HAQUE says
LOVE IT
Priyanka A says
Such amazing quotes. Looking at my life, I’ve realised that whatever happens, happens for the good (also a quote in the holy Bhagavad Gita). And that we get two kinds of things in life: one, what we want, and the second, what is better than what we want.
Dan Thompson says
From the saying “Remember the good old days” keep in mind “These are the good old days” make them count.
Edie Thompson says
People may not remember what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel. Always be mindful of these words!