“Happiness depends upon ourselves.”
Aristotle
Self RelianceShort Quotes
Happiness Quotes
200 FAMOUS QUOTES · HAPPINESS
Happiness Quotes
Read the best happiness quotes on joy, contentment and living well from Aristotle, Epictetus, Tolstoy, Thiruvalluvar, Kabir, the Gita and more. Words to brighten your day.
“Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold; happiness dwells in the soul.”
Democritus
Inner JoyWealth
“There is only one way to happiness, and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.”
Epictetus
WorryStoicism
“True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.”
Seneca
Present MomentPeace
“Human felicity is produced not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen, as by little advantages that occur every day.”
Benjamin Franklin
Small JoysEveryday Life
“Sweetness on earth and rarest bliss above, these are the fruits of tranquil life of love.”
Thiruvalluvar
LovePeace
“For one who is not disciplined, there is no wisdom; for one without meditation, there is no peace; and how can there be happiness for one without peace?”
The Bhagavad Gita
Inner PeaceDiscipline
“Ask yourself whether you are happy, and you cease to be so.”
John Stuart Mill
PhilosophyOverthinking
“Not what we have but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance.”
Epicurus
GratitudeContentment
“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
Leo Tolstoy
FamilyLiterature
“All men seek happiness. This is without exception.”
Blaise Pascal
Human NaturePhilosophy
“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.”
Oscar Wilde
PeopleFunny
“O Happiness! our being's end and aim!”
Alexander Pope
PurposePoetry
“The greatest of follies is to sacrifice health for any other kind of happiness.”
Arthur Schopenhauer
HealthPriorities
“Happiness is an ideal not of reason, but of imagination.”
Immanuel Kant
ImaginationPhilosophy
“We have no more right to consume happiness without producing it than to consume wealth without producing it.”
George Bernard Shaw
Sharing JoyResponsibility
“That happiness which is like poison at first but like nectar in the end, born of the clarity of one's own mind, is called pure.”
The Bhagavad Gita
True HappinessDiscipline
“Happy is that people, whose God is the Lord.”
The Bible (Psalm 144:15)
FaithJoy
“If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.”
The Bible (John 13:17)
ActionFaith
“Behold, we count them happy which endure.”
The Bible (James 5:11)
PerseveranceFaith
“Happiness belongs to the self-sufficient.”
Aristotle
IndependenceContentment
“The man who makes everything that leads to happiness depend upon himself, and not upon other men, has adopted the very best plan for living happily.”
Plato
Self RelianceWisdom
“No one can be happy who has been thrust outside the pale of truth.”
Seneca
TruthHonesty
“Men are disturbed not by things, but by the views which they take of things.”
Epictetus
MindsetStoicism
“A happy life consists in tranquillity of mind.”
Cicero
Peace Of MindCalm
Related Topics
About Happiness Quotes
Everyone wants to be happy, but what actually makes us happy? For thousands of years, philosophers, poets and spiritual teachers have tried to answer that question. Their answers are surprisingly similar: happiness comes less from what we own and more from how we think, how we love, and how content we are with what we already have.
This collection brings together 200 of the best happiness quotes from Aristotle, Epictetus, Leo Tolstoy, Thiruvalluvar, Kabir, Benjamin Franklin, the Bhagavad Gita and more. Some are wise, some are funny, and all of them can help you find a little more joy in everyday life. For more uplifting words, explore our [Positive Quotes](/topics/positive-quotes).
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about Happiness quotes.
What is the best quote about happiness?
Aristotle's "Happiness depends upon ourselves" is one of the most famous. Epictetus added that happiness comes from ceasing to worry about "things which are beyond the power of our will."
What did the Bhagavad Gita say about happiness?
The Gita asks, "How can there be happiness for one without peace?" It also says true happiness may feel like poison at first but becomes like nectar in the end.
Does money bring happiness?
Many thinkers say no. Democritus wrote that happiness "dwells in the soul," not in gold, and Epicurus said abundance comes from "what we enjoy," not what we have.
What are small things that make people happy?
Benjamin Franklin believed happiness comes from "little advantages that occur every day" rather than rare strokes of luck. Thackeray added, "A good laugh is sunshine in a house."
What are funny quotes about happiness?
Oscar Wilde joked, "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go." Voltaire said he decided to be happy "because it is good for my health."
What are good short happiness quotes?
Try "Happiness depends upon ourselves," "A good laugh is sunshine in a house," "Happiness belongs to the self-sufficient," or "No man is happy who does not think himself so."