Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill

“We have more food, more clothes, more cars, bigger houses, more central heating, more foreign holidays, a shorter working week, nice work, and, above all, better health. Yet we are not happier.

One of the main sources of people’s discontent comes from comparing themselves with others in their family, at their work-place, and among their acquaintances. As Layard explains, “There are many cases

One of the main sources of people’s discontent comes from comparing themselves with others in their family, at their work-place, and among their acquaintances.

Repeatedly comparing our situation with that of others is a kind of sickness of the mind that brings much unnecessary discontent and frustration. When we have a

Repeatedly comparing our situation with that of others is a kind of sickness of the mind that brings much unnecessary discontent and frustration. When we have a new source of enjoyment or a new car, we get excited and feel that we are at the top of our game.

Repeatedly comparing our situation with that of others is a kind of sickness of the mind that brings much unnecessary discontent and frustration. When we have a new source of enjoyment or a new car, we get excited and feel that we are at the top of our game. But we soon get used to it and our excitement subsides; when a new model comes out we become unhappy with the one we have and feel that we can only be satisfied if we get the new one, especially if other people around us have it.

Buddhism would add that it is also surely due to the tireless dedication of most of our time to external activities and goals, instead of learning to enjoy the present moment, the company of those we love, the peace of natural environments, and, above all, the flowering of inner peace that gives every second of life a new and different quality.

the children of mothers who are less engaged with their children may be predisposed to problems such as aggressive behavior and attention deficit disorder.

They believe that an individual can exert control over herself and her life, while unhappy people tend to believe themselves to be destiny’s playthings.

an individual is capable of controlling her environment, the happier she is.

are we happy because we have a lot of friends or do we have a lot of friends because we’re happy?

for claiming to be happy, they cited as major contributing factors their family, friends, a good job, an easy life, good health, the freedom to travel, participation in social life, access to culture, information, and entertainment, and so on.

There is no large and difficult task that can’t be divided into little, easy tasks.

selfishness to be the main cause of suffering and altruistic love to be the essential ingredient of true happiness.

We must always see the good, the beautiful, in a person, never destroy, always look for someone’s greatness without distinction of religion, caste, or belief.”

Even if we are constitutionally cranky and easy to anger, the latter is always triggered by a particular incident.

love and affection are far more essential to long-term survival. The newborn would last mere hours without her mother’s affection; the disabled elderly would soon die without the care of those around them. We need to receive love in order to know how to give it. After a fit

After a fit of anger, we often say, “I was out of it,” or “I was not myself.” But when we spontaneously do some act of disinterested kindness, such as helping a human or an animal to recover its health or freedom, or even to escape death, we have the sense of being in harmony with our true nature.

If you keep your mind humble, pride will vanish like morning mist.

Pride, the exacerbation of self-importance, consists of being infatuated with the few qualities we possess and, often, of imagining ourselves to possess those we lack.