“The noblest art is that of making others happy”
P.T. Barnum (1810–1891) American showman and businessman
Recommended quotes page 9
“Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.”
John Lennon (1940–1980) English singer and songwriter
“The sadness will last forever.”
Vincent Van Gogh (1853–1890) Dutch post-Impressionist painter (1853-1890)
Attributed to Vincent, as quoted by Theo van gogh in his letter from Paris, to Elisabeth van Gogh, 5 August 1890 http://www.webexhibits.org/vangogh/letter/21/etc-Theo-Lies.htm <br class="br">Some of the last words Vincent said to Theo, while dying <br class="br">1890s
“You can achieve anything in life. It just depends on how desperate you are to achieve it.”
Milkha Singh (1935) Indian track and field athlete
The Race of My Life: An Autobiography Milkha Singh (2013)
“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”
Confucius (-551–-479 BC) Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher
Attributed on the internet but not found in print prior to an attribution in Aero Digest, Vols. 58–59, 1949, p. 115 https://books.google.com/books?id=q2ofAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22Life+is+simple%22+but+we+insist+on+making+it+complicated&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=%22Life+is+simple%22+ <br class="br">Misattributed, Not Chinese
“Happiness consists in getting enough sleep. Just that, nothing more.”
Robert A. Heinlein book Starship Troopers
Source: Starship Troopers
“We don’t even ask happiness, just a little less pain.”
Charles Bukowski (1920–1994) American writer
Variant: We don't even ask for happiness, just a little less pain.
Source: From a letter to William Packard from 1985 (published in Reach for the Sun - the 3rd volume of Bukowski correspondence)
Context: Sex, love, duty, God, family are not to be bargained with against happiness, and we don’t even ask happiness, just a little less pain.
“Happiness is a perfume which you cannot pour on someone without getting some on yourself.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) American philosopher, essayist, and poet
Variant: Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting some on yourself.
Variant: Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.
“Happiness is a good flow of life.”
Zeno of Citium (-334–-263 BC) ancient Greek philosopher
As quoted by Stobaeus, ii. 77.
“There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.”
Thich Nhat Hanh (1926) Religious leader and peace activist
“Action may not always bring happiness but there is no happiness without action.”
Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881) British Conservative politician, writer, aristocrat and Prime Minister
Books, Coningsby (1844), Lothair (1870)
Variant: Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action.
“I wish I could throw off the thoughts which poison my happiness.”
Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849) Polish composer
As quoted in Chopin.
Variant translation: I wish I could throw off the thoughts which poison my happiness. And yet I take a kind of pleasure in indulging them.
Variant: I wish I could throw off the thoughts that poison my happiness, and yet I love to indulge in them;
Source: Chopin's Letters
“There are no mistakes, only happy accidents.”
Bob Ross (1942–1995) American painter, art instructor, and television host
