“The safest way of not being very miserable is not to expect to be very happy.”
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Arthur Schopenhauer261
German philosopher 1788–1860Related quotes
Anatole France book The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard
Les hommes qui se sont occupés du bonheur des peuples ont rendu leurs proches bien malheureux.
Pt. II, ch. 4
The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard (1881)
Edith Wharton (1862–1937) American novelist, short story writer, designer
Source: Ethan Frome and Other Short Fiction
Sören Kierkegaard book Eighteen Upbuilding Discourses
Eighteen Upbuilding Discourses: "Patience in Expectancy" (1844)
1840s, Eighteen Upbuilding Discourses
“He that sympathizes in all the happiness of others, perhaps himself enjoys the safest happiness.”
Charles Caleb Colton (1777–1832) British priest and writer
Vol. I; XXXIII
Lacon (1820)
Daniel E. Flores (1961) Catholic bishop
Youngest bishop in the U.S. ready to “propose the mystery” of the Church to Detroit https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/8177/youngest-bishop-in-the-us-ready-to-propose-the-mystery-of-the-church-to-detroit (November 29, 2006)
“Life is a miracle, and being aware of simply this can already make us very happy.”
Thich Nhat Hanh (1926) Religious leader and peace activist
Source: Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life
“Most people would rather be certain they're miserable, than risk being happy.”
Robert Anthony (1982) professional wrestler
George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) Irish playwright
1910s, A Treatise on Parents and Children (1910)
Context: The secret of being miserable is to have leisure to bother about whether you are happy or not. The cure for it is occupation, because occupation means pre-occupation; and the pre-occupied person is neither happy nor unhappy, but simply alive and active, which is pleasanter than any happiness until you are tired of it.
“It is very simple to be happy, but it is very difficult to be simple.”
Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) Bengali polymath