“People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

?Abraham Lincoln

It usually isn’t what you have, where you are, or what you’ve been through that makes you happy or unhappy, it’s how you think about it all. It starts on the inside. You control your thoughts. The only person who can hurt your happiness in the long run is YOU.

Here are 50 thought-provoking quotes about happiness gathered from our book and blog archive that will help you think on the bright side.



It only takes one person to make you happy and change your life: YOU. Your life will improve only when you take small chances, and the first and most difficult chance you can take is to be honest with yourself. Stop focusing on how stressed you are and remember how blessed you are. It could be so much worse. It is not what happens to you, but how you respond to what happens to you. Count your blessings while others are adding up their troubles. Look for something positive about this moment. Even if you have to look a little harder than usual, it still exists. When you smile about the life you live, you end up living a life worth smiling about. Remember, social comparison is the thief of happiness. You could spend a lifetime worrying about what others have, but it wouldn’t get you anything. Happiness comes more easily when you feel good about yourself without feeling the need for anyone else’s approval. Be nice to people on your way up because you might meet them again on your way back down. Set an example. Treat everyone with kindness and respect, even those who are rude to you – not because they are nice, but because you are. (Read The Four Agreements.) Kindness is not to be mistaken for weakness, nor forgiveness for acceptance. It’s about knowing resentment of any kind is not on the path to happiness. Give as much as you can, but don’t allow yourself to be used. Listen to others closely, but don’t lose your own voice. Say what you need to say. Speak your truth. There is no greater sadness than holding on to the words you never had the courage to speak. You can’t change how people treat you or what they say about you. All you can do is change how you react and who you choose to be around. Negative company will never give you a positive life. Examine what you tolerate in the long-term. What you allow is what will continue. It’s always better to spend more time alone than allow negative people and their opinions to derail you from your destiny. When other people treat you poorly, walk away, smile and keep being YOU. Don’t ever let someone else’s bitterness change the person you are. Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth. It’s their loss, not yours. One of the most freeing things we learn in life is that we don’t have to like everyone, everyone doesn’t have to like us, and that’s OK. When someone says, “You’ve changed,” it’s not always a bad thing. Sometimes it just means you stopped living your life their way. Never be ashamed of how you feel. You have the right to feel any emotion that comes to you, and to follow a path that makes you happy. The unhappiest people in this world are the people who care the most about what everyone else thinks. You can’t base your idea of success and happiness on other people’s opinions and expectations. (Read 1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently.) Happiness and success is all about spending your life in your own way. Be yourself. No one can ever tell you you’re doing it wrong. It’s always better to be at the bottom of the ladder you want to climb than the top of the one you don’t. Work to create a life that feels right to YOU, not one that looks right to everyone else. No amount of money will make you happy if you aren’t happy with yourself. Maybe the thing you’re scared of is exactly what you should do. Sometimes life is about risking it all for a dream no one can see but you. You can’t always wait for the perfect moment. Sometimes you must dare to do it because life is too short to regret and wonder what could have been. The most reliable way to predict the future is to create it. Participate in life instead of just watching it pass you by. Nothing’s more fun than doing what people say you can’t do. Almost anything is possible if you’ve got enough time and enough nerve. Great challenges make life interesting; overcoming them makes life meaningful. It’s how you deal with failure that determines your happiness and success. Let your mistakes be your motivation, not your excuses. Decide right now that negative experiences from your past won’t predict your future. What is coming is better than what is gone. Don’t give up hope. Good things often happen when you least expect it. If you take another step, and another, you will be surprised to know how far you can go from the point you thought was the end. Nothing is more beautiful and powerful than a smile that has struggled through the tears. Any fool can be happy when times are good. It takes a strong soul with real heart to develop smiles out of situations that make us weep. No matter how long it takes, it will get better. Tough situations build strong people in the end. As we grow older and wiser, we begin to realize what we need and what we need to leave behind. Sometimes walking away is a step forward. At the end of the day, you can either focus on what’s tearing you apart, or what’s holding you together. One of the most rewarding moments in life is when you finally find the courage to let go of what you can’t change. Whatever you do, don’t get stuck on the one thing that ruins your day. Smile and be grateful. Life is too short to waste on negativity. The less you expect, the more pleasant life gets. Patience can be bitter, but the seeds you plant now will bear sweet fruit. (Read Flourish.) Live simply. Love generously. Speak truthfully. Breathe deeply. Do your best. Leave everything else to the powers above you. Do not dwell so much on creating your perfect life that you forget to live. The trick is to enjoy your life today. Don’t wish it away by waiting for better days ahead. Pay attention to the little things, because when you really miss “the good old days,” you miss the little things the most, like just laughing with someone special. Go for long walks. Indulge in great conversations. Pay attention to the moment. Count your blessings. Let go for a little while and just be and breathe.

Your turn…

What’s one quote or personal reminder that has helped you think happier thoughts and live more positively? Please share it with us by leaving a reply below.

Photo by: Rick Harrison