21 Happiness Quotes to Lift Your Spirits

The desire for happiness is universal.

No matter where we’re from, or what age or stage we are in life – we all want to be happy!

The normal ups, downs and frustrations of day-to-life can sometimes cloud our happiness.

So it’s nice to be reminded that happiness, whether it’s in the moment, or over a lifetime, is something that we can experience and enjoy.

Take are look at these quotes about happiness – wise words from great minds of the past and present, to lift your spirit, make you think, and help you focus on what’s important.

Happiness comes from the little things

1. “The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us.” – Ashley Montagu

2. “Happiness consists more in small conveniences or pleasure that occur every day than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom.” – Benjamin Franklin

3. “The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.” – Henry Ward Beecher

Happiness comes from your actions

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

5. “Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.” – Dalai Lama

6. “Happiness depends upon ourselves.” – Aristotle

Happiness comes from gratitude

7. “We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.” – Frederick Keonig

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

Happiness comes from helping others

9. “Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

10. “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop

11. “The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up.” – Mark Twain

Happiness comes from making progress

12. “Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

13. “Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action.” – Benjamin Disraeli

Happiness is your decision

14. “There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.” – Epictetus

15. “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

16. “It’s been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.” – Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery 

17. “Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.” – Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

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

19. “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

20. “If you want to be happy, be.” – Leo Tolstoy

21. “Being happy doesn’t mean everything is perfect. It means you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.” – Unknown

Which happiness quotes do you love?

Save your favourite quotes about happiness to your Pinterest boards, or print them out to stick into your bullet journal or planner. 

Looking for ideas to boost your happiness?

Two of my favorite podcasts, Happier with Gretchen Rubin, and Happier in Hollywood focus on fun, practical, and actionable ways to be happier, healthier more productive and more creative.

I also love, and can totally recommend, Gretchen Rubin’s books on boosting your happiness:

The Happiness Project and Happier at Home

Boost your happiness all year round with this printable quote

Subscribe to the latest news and updates from A Lovely Year and receive this free Ralph Waldo Emerson printable quote to download and frame at home.

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