~Democritus

"Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities." ~Aldous Huxley

"The happiness of life is made up of minute fractions—the little soon-forgotten charities of a kiss, a smile, a kind look, a heartfelt compliment in the disguise of a playful raillery, and the countless other infinitessimals of pleasurable thought and genial feeling." ~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

"Men spend their lives in anticipations,—in determining to be vastly happy at some period when they have time. But the present time has one advantage over every other—it is our own. Past opportunities are gone, future have not come. We may lay in a stock of pleasures, as we would lay in a stock of wine; but if we defer the tasting of them too long, we shall find that both are soured by age." ~Charles Caleb Colton

"Who is the happiest of men? He who values the merits of others, and in their pleasure takes joy, even as though 'twere his own." ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"The chances are that you have already come to believe that happiness is unattainable. But men have attained it. And they have attained it by realising that happiness does not spring from the procuring of physical or mental pleasure, but from the development of reason and the adjustment of conduct to principles."

"Happiness is not a matter of events, it depends upon the tides of the mind." ~Alice Meynell

"Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of mind than on outward circumstances."

"There is only one way to happiness, and that is to cease worrying things which are beyond the power of our will." ~Epictetus

"I have learned to seek my happiness by limiting my desires, rather than attempting to satisfy them." ~John Stuart Mills

"You're happiest while you're making the greatest contribution." ~Robert F. Kennedy

What struck me the most is the quote on happiness of Albert Schweitzer which I re-published here in italicized, bold letters. Schweitzer (1875-1965) was an Alsatian theologian who became notable for his philosophy of "reverence for life." Truly, men fail in appreciating little and mundane things. We tend to dream of accomplishing big things and become successful in the process.

Sometimes, we forget that what really makes us happy is a smile, a slice of cake, a piece of sweet, a nice scent, a tap on the shoulder or simply a harmonious relationship within our family. Our minds are always preoccupied with things which we think are of high importance but in the ultimate search for happiness, are deemed worthless and meaningless. I don't know with you but come to think of it, do big things REALLY make you happy in the real sense of the word?

You can read all this and more motivational quotes at Inspirational-Quotes.info.

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