#contentment

"A book of verses underneath the boughA flask of wine, a loaf of bread and thouBeside me singing in the wildernessAnd wilderness is paradise now."

"The greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances."

"The midsummer sun shines but dim, The fields strive in vain to look gay; But when I am happy in Him December's as pleasant as May."

"Our mission as humans is not only to discover our fullest selves in the technium, and to find full contentment, but to expand the possibilities for others. Greater technology will selfishly unleash our talents, but it will also unselfishly unleash others: our children, and all children to come."

"You don't have to be part of a couple to be happy, you know."

"You have to open up to the world and learn optimism...Contentment with the past, happiness with the present, and hope for the future. Learned optimisim."

"Happiness can only be achieved by looking inward & learning to enjoy whatever life has and this requires transforming greed into gratitude."

"I think instead [of happiness] we should be working for contentment... an inner sense of fulfillment that's relatively independent of external circumstances."

"Ultimate prosperity is one's value within. It takes a man of depth, morality, and charm to be envied yet without a sign of wealth or romance. A passion to prove such inner worth is his permission to achieve whatever he desires."

"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough"

"A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbor — such is my idea of happiness."

"You will never get everything in life but you will get enough."

"With a philosophy education, one can infuriate his peers, intimidate his date, think of obscure, unreliable ways to make money, and never regret a thing."

"He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature."

"And besides . . . I don’t want to leave you. Er, you guys.”He smiled, and it lit up his whole face. “Well, ‘we’ are certainly happy to hear that. Oh, and I’m also happy to watch our darling little love child dragon while you’re in St. Louis.”I grinned back."

"Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life."

"Many people lose the small joys in the hope for the big happiness."

"Imagination doesn't always make you long for what you cannot have, but rather thrive in what you do not have."

"[F]or just one second, look at your life and see how perfect it is. Stop looking for the next secret door that is going to lead you to your real life. Stop waiting. This is it: there's nothing else. It's here, and you'd better decide to enjoy it or you're going to be miserable wherever you go, for the rest of your life, forever."

"Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get."