“Happiness does not depend on outward circumstances, but on the state of the heart.”

“Everybody in the world is seeking happiness—and there is one sure way to find it. That is by controlling your thoughts. Happiness doesn't depend on outward conditions. It depends on inner conditions.”

Dale Carnegie How to Win Friends and Influence People

“The greatest part of our happiness depends on our dispositions, not our circumstances.”

Martha Washington (1731–1802) First Lady of the United States

“Is there a difference between happiness and inner peace? Yes. Happiness depends on conditions being perceived as positive; inner peace does not.”

Eckhart Tolle (1948) German writer

“The amount of happiness that you have depends on the amount of freedom you have in your heart.”

Thich Nhat Hanh (1926) Religious leader and peace activist

“Happiness does not come about only due to external circumstances; it mainly derives from inner attitudes.”

Tenzin Gyatso (1935) spiritual leader of Tibet

“We call “happiness” a certain set of circumstances that makes joy possible. But we call joy that state of mind and emotions that needs nothing to feel happy.”

André Gide (1869–1951) French novelist and essayist

“The health of the people is really the foundation upon which all their happiness and all their powers as a state depend.”

Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881) British Conservative politician, writer, aristocrat and Prime Minister

“If your happiness depends on what somebody else does, I guess you do have a problem.”

Richard Bach (1936) American spiritual writer

“Our happiness depends on the habit of mind we cultivate. So practice happy thinking every day. Cultivate the merry heart, develop the happiness habit, and life will become a continual feast." ~”

Norman Vincent Peale (1898–1993) American writer