Many biblical verses are like inkblot tests, revealing more about us than about the text in question.
Harold S. KushnerRead
The happiest people I know are people who don't even think about being happy. They just think about being good neighbors, good people. And then happiness sort of sneaks in the back window while they are busy doing good.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True happiness comes from focusing on being good to others rather than chasing happiness itself.
This quote emphasizes that the pursuit of happiness is often counterproductive. Instead of fixating on personal happiness, individuals should direct their efforts toward being kind and supportive to their neighbors and community. In doing so, happiness will naturally follow as a byproduct of their good actions and intentions.
Themes
HappinessKindnessGoodnessCommunityNeighbors
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech at a community event, you might say, 'The happiest people I know are those focused on helping others.'
More from Harold S. Kushner
All quotes →I am quite confident that the most important part of a human being is not his physical body but his nonphysical essence, which some people call soul and others, personality... The nonphysical part cannot die and cannot decay because it's not physical.
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That is why we have to make room in our lives for people who may sometimes disappoint or exasperate us. If we hold our friends to a standard of perfection, or if they do that to us, we will end up far lonelier than we want to be.
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Pain is a part of being alive, and we need to learn that. Pain does not last forever, nor is it necessarily unbeatable, and we need to be taught that.
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Our souls are not hungry for fame, comfort, wealth, or power. Our souls are hungry for meaning, for the sense that we have figured out how to live so that our lives matter.
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We cannot live without the knowledge that someone cares about us.
Harold S. KushnerRead
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