Happiness Quotes

Is it a destination or a practice? These quotes explore the most sought-after human experience.

18390 quotes

"The problem with America is that Americans believe in happiness as a right."
Philip Roth
"Pleasure becomes a value, a teleology, when it's the only thing you worship."
David Foster Wallace
"The pursuit of happiness is essentially the pursuit of distraction."
David Foster Wallace
S
"The pursuit of happiness is itself an American delusion."
Saul Bellow
S
"Every moment of happiness is a rebellion against the universe's indifference."
Saul Bellow
J
"I'm quite fond of it."
J.D. Salinger
J
"I have a very good life."
J.D. Salinger
J
"I really loved having that suit."
J.D. Salinger
J
"That really gives me pleasure."
J.D. Salinger
J
"Success is having what you want; happiness is wanting what you have."
Joseph Heller
J
"Happiness is wanting less, not having more."
Joseph Heller
"The pursuit of happiness is often more difficult than happiness itself."
Philip Roth
N
"Hip is the sophisticated expression of finding pleasure in small things."
Norman Mailer
N
"Probably no human being is happier than a woman who is in the act of creation of any sort."
Norman Mailer
N
"Happiness is the state of recognizing you already have what you need."
Norman Mailer
"And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.'"
Kurt Vonnegut
"Enjoy it!"
Kurt Vonnegut
"The pursuit of happiness is the root of unhappiness."
David Foster Wallace
"The paradox is that enforced fun is not fun."
David Foster Wallace
S
"People are responsible for their own happiness."
Saul Bellow
S
"The best things in life are not things."
Saul Bellow
J
"I'm not happy and I'll never be happy, but at least I know why now."
Joseph Heller
J
"Happiness is a byproduct of living, not the goal."
Joseph Heller
J
"Happiness is found in the small moments we forget to notice."
Joseph Heller
N
"To be happy one must have a sense of purpose."
Norman Mailer
J
"I don't know why, but it's a lot of fun sometimes when you're not looking for it."
J.D. Salinger
"Enjoy it while you can, and while you're it, help others enjoy it too."
Kurt Vonnegut
"Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we diet."
Kurt Vonnegut
J
"Happiness consists of wanting what you have."
Jack Kerouac
J
"The Beat Generation was a generation of beatitude not of beat."
Jack Kerouac