85 Inspiring Happiness Quotes
Everyone loves quotes. Inspiring quotes adorn shirts, mugs, posters and email signatures. You know you want to be the one who shares the best quotes with your friends. This page is the ultimate source for inspiring and easily-shareable happiness quotes!

Inspiring image by Devanath at Pixabay.com
Jump to the Quotes
Click a link to skip my wise words to go the series of Quotes you want to see. Click here to enjoy Happiness Quotes delivered to you every Monday?
- All the Quotes
- Perspective Happiness Quotes
- Funny Happiness Quotes
- Action Happiness Quotes
- Happiness Quotes About Gratitude
- Chasing Happiness Quotes
- Self Love Quotes
- Quotes About Worry
- Happiness Quotes About Friends
- Quotes About Struggle
- Quotes About Pets
- Quotes About Kindness
Here are ways you can interact with the page. And now…
A Word From Our Curator
I’m putting lots of hours into this page. I’m finding quotes, creating the images and formatting the page. I love doing it. It just takes a lot of time.
All I ask is that you share because it helps you and me. You get the quote’s inspiration for your own enjoyment. Plus you’ll be known as the person who inspires your friends. You’ll help me get some traffic.
You can:
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It does take time to create the images. I may have quotes published on the page without an image yet. If your favorite quote doesn’t have an image yet, please let me know in the comments section way at the bottom of this post. Scroll aaaalll the way down. Let me know, and I’ll get a lovely image published as soon as I can!
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Enjoy the Fun of Highlighting Your Own Favorite Parts
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These three sharing methods work one every page of Independently Happy, so please have a look around. If you don’t know where to start, start with How To Be Happy.
Share With Me Too
If I’m missing any of your favorite quotes, please share them with me! Let me know in the comments. If you have a blog or website, I’ll credit you and link to your site.
And now, the quotes. Have fun!
Perspective Happiness Quotes
1.
Louisa May Alcott Knew Where to Find It
“The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely.”
– Louisa May Alcott
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Check out Finding Beauty in the Simple Things!
2.
Abraham Lincoln Made Up His Mind
Just because “no evidence exists to suggest” that Abraham Lincoln said this doesn’t mean he didn’t say it.
“Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.”
– Abraham Lincoln

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3.
Dale Carnegie Really Thought About It
“It isn’t what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.”
– Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People
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4.
Daphne du Maurier Kept Her Eyes on the Prize
“Happiness is not a possession to be prized, it is a quality of thought, a state of mind.”
― Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca
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5.
Douglas Adams Was Right About This One!
“I’d far rather be happy than right any day.”
– Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
6.
Epictetus Knew What to Want
“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”
― Epictetus
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Check out How Having Few Wants Leads to More Happiness.
7.
John Lennon Understood Life
I love this John Lennon quote. At five years old he was already questioning instead of complying.
When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.
– John Lennon
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Click to Tweet or Share in Insta
8.
Marcus Aurelius Thought It Through
“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”
– Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
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9.
Martha Washington Had the Right Disposition
“The greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.”
― Martha Washington
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Check out Nurturing a Positive Disposition.
10.
Steve Maraboli Had No Problem With This One
“Happiness is not the absence of problems, it’s the ability to deal with them.”
– Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free
11.
W.P. Kinsella Knows What He Wants
“Success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting what you get.”
– W.P. Kinsella
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12.
William Saroyan Gets It!
Even though he doesn’t require it.
“The greatest happiness you can have is knowing that you do not necessarily require happiness.”
– William Saroyan, My Heart’s in the Highlands
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13.
Gerard Way on Perfection
“Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.”
– Gerard Way
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Check out Look Beyond Imperfections.
14.
Groucho Had the Power!
I bet you expected to see Groucho Marx in the funny quotes section. Me too!
“I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.”
– Groucho Marx, The Essential Groucho: Writings For By And About Groucho Marx
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15.
Yes, I’ll Include Mine Too!
“Be optimistic. Act. Repeat.”
– Shayne Seymour
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Check out Optimism Is Not Enough.
16.
Love and Wisdom
“Love says ‘I am everything’.
Wisdom says ‘I am nothing’.
Between the two, my life flows.”
– Nisargadatta Maharaj
17.
What is Experience?
“My experience is what I agree to attend to.”
– William James
18.
Obsess much, Aristotle?
“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.”
– Aristotle
19.
Against the Wind
“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.”
– Henry Ford
20.
Safe in the Harbor
“A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are.”
– John A. Shedd
21.
“The ability to find pleasure in the small things is a special gift.”
– Tammy Hader
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Check out Training a Happier Brain — Week Two of Three.
Funny Happiness Quotes
I had a really hard time finding funny happiness quotes. First of all, when I searched for them I didn’t get many results. Secondly, many of what returned were funny, but not about happiness. Thirdly, most of the happiness quotes I found weren’t that funny.

hilarious photo from Free-Photos at Pixabay.com
They were the kind of funny that may have been funny in the 40s or 50s, but they did not pass my stringent requirements for modern humor.
I’ll say that I do not recommend seeking humor or happiness with the same level of scrutiny I do. That’s my job. I take Happiness seriously so you don’t have to.
As I scour the webs, books and movies for Happiness Quotes to add to this page I’ll have my Quotes Radar — my qoudar? quotdar? Hapquodar? — on extra alert for the funny ones.
Even if I have to write them myself!
22.
“You can’t rollerskate in a buffalo herd, but you can be happy if you’ve a mind to.”
– Roger Miller
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23.
“Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.”
– Elbert Hubbard
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Check out Do Not Take Life Too Seriously.
24.
Reba McEntire’s Three Things
Including a funny bone! How much have you laughed today?
“To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone.”
– Reba McEntire
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25.
“You can’t take a shower in a parakeet cage, but you can be happy if you’ve a mind to.”
– Roger Miller
26.
“Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.”
– George Burns
27.
“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.”
– Oscar Wilde
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28.
“You can’t go swimming in a baseball pool, but you can be happy if you’ve a mind to.”
– Roger Miller
29.
“I am a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy.”
– J.D. Salinger
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30.
“This planet has – or rather had – a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movement of small green pieces of paper, which was odd because, on the whole, it wasn’t the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.”
– Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
31.
“You can’t drive around with a tiger in your car, but you can be happy if you’ve a mind to.”
-Roger Miller
32.
“Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination.”
– Mark Twain
33.
“You can’t go fishing in a watermelon patch, but you can be #happy if you’ve a mind to.”
-Roger Miller
34.
A tall cold beer drowns the taste of an ugly day.”
– Tammy Hader
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Check out Training a Happier Brain — Week Two of Three.
35.
“Laughter is poison to fear.”
– George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
36.
“When the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies.”
– J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
Action for Happiness Quotes
37.
William James on Action
“Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.”
― William James
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Check out No Happiness Without Action!
38.
Susan Polis Schutz on Taking the Power
“This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. Take the power to control your own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy.”
– Susan Polis Schutz
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Check out Take the Power to Control Your Own Life!
39.
Sri Chinmoy Conquered Himself
“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
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Check out Conquer Yourself and Love the World to be Happy.
40.
John Barrowman Sings It!
“I’ve always thought people would find a lot more pleasure in their routines if they burst into song at significant moments.”
– John Barrowman
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41.
Eleanor Roosevelt Lived Right!
“Happiness is not a goal…it’s a by-product of a life well lived.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt
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Check out Happiness is a Byproduct of a Life Well Lived!
42.
Hunter S. Thompson Braved the Storm!
“So we shall let the reader answer this question for himself: who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?”
– Hunter S. Thompson
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43.
The Grand Essentials!
“The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.”
– George Washington Burnap
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44.
Paracelsus Wasn’t Lazy!
“Happiness does not consist in laziness… In labour and in sweat must each man use the gifts that God conferred upon him on earth.”
– Paracelsus
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45.
Climbing Toward the Peak
“Attaining lasting happiness requires that we enjoy the journey on our way toward a destination we deem valuable. Happiness is not about making it to the peak of the mountain nor is it about climbing aimlessly around the mountain; happiness is the experience of climbing toward the peak.”
– Tal Ben-Shahar
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46.
“Happiness is a skill, a habit, a study, and a choice.”
– Dr. Christine Bradstreet
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Check out Confession: For Much of my Life I Wasn’t Happy.
47.
“All blame is a waste of time.”
– Dr. Wayne Dyer
48.
“I find my greatest pleasure, and so my reward, in the work that precedes what the world calls success.”
– Thomas A. Edison
49.
“I’m learning as I go, not before I go.”
– Frank McKinley
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Check out author and writing coach Frank McKinley.
50.
“Happiness is a state of activity.”
– Aristotle
51.
“Human beings are only happy when they are reaching toward their highest potential.”
– Barry Michels & Phil Stutz
52.
“The secret of happiness is freedom, the secret of freedom is courage.”
– Carrie Jones, Need
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53.
“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”
– Dalai Lama XIV
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54.
Happiness Quotes About Gratitude
“Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness. It’s the spark that lights a fire of joy in your soul.”
– Amy Collette
55.
“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
– Melody Beattie
56.
“Happiness cannot be traveled to owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.”
– Denis Waitley
57.
“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”
– Gilbert C. Chesterton
58.
“Gratitude will shift you to a higher frequency, and you will attract much better things.”
– Rhonda Byrne
59.
“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.”
– Willie Nelson
60.
“Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you.”
– Eileen Caddy
61.
“Gratitude is the sweetest thing in a seekers life – in all human life. If there is gratitude in your heart, then there will be tremendous sweetness in your eyes.”
– Sri Chinmoy
62.
“The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see.”
– Mary Davis
63.
“The root of joy is gratefulness.”
– David Steindl-Rast
64.
“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”
– Epictetus
65.
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.”
– Melody Beattie
66.
“Being thankful is not always experienced as a natural state of existence, we must work at it, akin to a type of strength training for the heart.”
– Larissa Gomez
67.
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”
– Oprah Winfrey
68.
“Be grateful for what you already have while you pursue your goals. If you aren’t grateful for what you already have, what makes you think you would be happy with more.”
– Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
Chasing Happiness Quotes
69.
Stop Trying to be Happy
“If only we’d stop trying to be happy, we could have a pretty good time.”
– Edith Wharton
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Check out Stop Trying to Be Happy So You Can Be Happy!
70.
Chasing a Frightened Cat
“The act of chasing joy is like chasing a frightened cat. The more we run after it, the more elusive it becomes. In contrast, the happiest times often pop up at the least expected times, often when we aren’t pursuing them.”
– Dr. Charles Fay
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71.
“The most beautiful moments in life are moments when you are expressing your joy, not when you are seeking it.”
– Jaggi Vasudev
72.
“Joy weathers any storm: Happiness rides the waves.”
– Todd Stocker
Self Love Quotes
73.
Ayn Rand Saw the Value
“Learn to value yourself, which means: fight for your happiness.”
– Ayn Rand
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Quotes About Worry
74.
Marianne Williamson Thought Like a Child
“Children are happy because they don’t have a file in their minds called “All the Things That Could Go Wrong.”
– Marianne Williamson
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Happiness Quotes About Friends
75.
John Lennon Knew What Counted Most
Although, I would suggest that tears are as necessary for happiness as smiles. How bad times contribute to happiness in the long run. We can learn to see the lessons, experience and resilience we can gain from tears. Tears can lead to smiles.
Spending quality time with friends is one of the best ways to nurture happiness.
“Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.”
– John Lennon
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76.
You Can’t Give Happiness
“The only way to give happiness is to teach that happiness can’t be given.”
– Shayne Seymour
Check out Happiness Isn’t Something You Can Give.
77.
“Even if you cannot change all the people around you, you can change the people you choose to be around. Life is too short to waste your time on people who don’t respect, appreciate, and value you. Spend your life with people who make you smile, laugh, and feel loved.”
– Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
78.
“Generally speaking, the most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves; the happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others…By and large, I have come to see that if we complain about life, it is because we are thinking only of ourselves.”
– Gordon B. Hinckley
79.
“The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up.”
– Mark Twain
80.
“Happiness [is] only real when shared.”
– Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild
Happiness Quotes About Struggle
81.
No Protection from Sadness
“You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness.”
– Jonathan Safran Foer
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82.
Uncomfortable is Better!
“It’s better to be happy than comfortable, if you can’t have both.”
– -Emma Bull
83.
“No medicine cures what happiness cannot.”
– Gabriel García Márquez
Happiness Quotes About Pets
84.
Charles Schulz had the Most Famous Puppy Ever!
“Happiness is a warm puppy.”
– Charles M. Schulz
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Check out How happiness is like a puppy.
Happiness Quotes About Kindness
85.
Mother Teresa Knew a Thing or Two About Kindness
“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.”
– Mother Teresa
Have I Missed Any Happiness Quotes?
I’d love to have them. Please share yours in the comments below, because we could all use a little more happiness!