Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.
Interpretation
True happiness comes from achieving goals and being creative, not from simply having money.
In this quote, Franklin D. Roosevelt emphasizes that authentic happiness is not found in the accumulation of wealth but rather in the fulfillment and excitement that come from achieving personal goals and engaging in creative endeavors. It suggests that the process of striving for something meaningful is what brings joy and satisfaction to life.
In practice
This quote can be used to inspire students during a graduation ceremony.
There has been one persistent theme through all Axis propaganda. This theme has been that Americans are admittedly rich, that Americans have considerable industrial power - but that Americans are soft and decadent, that they cannot and will not unite and work and fight. ... Let them tell that to the Marines!
The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.
A war of ideas can no more be won without books than a naval war can be won without ships. Books, like ships, have the toughest armor, the longest cruising range, and mount the most powerful guns.
Better the occasional faults of a government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a government frozen in the ice of its own indifference.
Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.
A world turned into a stereotype, a society converted into a regiment, a life translated into a routine, make it difficult for either art or artists to survive. Crush individuality in society and you crush art as well. Nourish the conditions of a free life and you nourish the arts, too.
Living with only the bare essentials has not only provided superficial benefits such as the pleasure of a tidy room or the simple ease of cleaning, it has also led to a more fundamental shift. It's given me a chance to think about what it really means to be happy.
The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being.
Pierre was right when he said that one must believe in the possibility of happiness in order to be happy, and I now believe in it. Let the dead bury the dead, but while I'm alive, I must live and be happy.
One reason I don't drink is that I want to know when I am having a good time.
All right - I'll tell you what you did for me: you went for happy, silly, beautiful walks with me.
If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.
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