To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs.
Aldous HuxleyRead
Happiness is a hard master, particularly other people's happiness.
Interpretation
Happiness, especially when tied to others, can be challenging to manage and understand.
Aldous Huxley suggests that the pursuit of happiness is demanding, particularly when it involves ensuring the happiness of others. This quote highlights the complexity of emotional well-being, indicating that oneβs happiness often relies on the unachievable task of catering to the needs and expectations of those around us.
In practice
In a speech about emotional intelligence, one might say this quote to illustrate the challenges of managing personal and others' happiness.
To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs.
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.
In the course of history many more people have died for their drink and their dope than have died for their religion or their country.
On no account brood over your wrongdoing. Rolling in the muck is not the best way of getting clean.
No man ever dared to manifest his boredom so insolently as does a Siamese tomcat when he yawns in the face of his amorously importunate wife.
The leech's kiss, the squid's embrace, The prurient ape's defiling touch: And do you like the human race? No, not much.
I am going to keep having fun every day I have left, because there is no other way of life. You just have to decide whether you are a Tigger or an Eeyore.
I used to believe that if I could do certain things - write a book or be a successful musician - that I'd be transformed into a happy person, but it doesn't work that way.
Look, really look, at how beautiful this day is. Let go of the worries and anxieties and judgments, and see the beauty.
We only need so much to survive, but this world we live in tells us we need more stuff to be happy. We're inundated with our televisions, the Internet and advertising that says in order to be happy you have to have these things. When you say, 'Gimme, gimme, gimme,' you will always be in short supply.
Not that happiness is dull. Only that it doesn't tell well. And of our consuming diversions as we age is to recite, not only to others but to ourselves, our own story.
This idea of perpetual happiness is crazy and overrated, because those dark moments fuel you for the next bright moments; each one helps you appreciate the other.
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