If we can accept as true that life circumstances are not the keys to happiness, we'll be greatly empowered to pursue happiness for ourselves.
Sonja LyubomirskyRead
Happiness is not out there for us to find. The reason that it's not out there is that it's inside us.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True happiness comes from within rather than from external sources.
This quote emphasizes the notion that happiness is an internal state rather than something to be sought externally. Sonja Lyubomirsky suggests that individuals often look outside of themselves for fulfillment and joy, but the reality is that lasting happiness is cultivated internally through our thoughts, attitudes, and ways of being.
Themes
HappinessInternalSelfJoyContentment
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about finding inner peace, one might quote this to encourage self-reflection.
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People prone to joyful anticipation, skilled at obtaining pleasure from looking forward and imagining future happy events, are especially likely to be optimistic and to experience intense emotions.
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The combination of rumination and negative mood is toxic. Research shows that people who ruminate while sad or distraught are likely to feel besieged, powerless, self-critical, pessimistic, and generally negatively biased.
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Thus the key to happiness lies not in changing our genetic makeup (which is impossible) and not in changing our circumstances (i.e., seeking wealth or attractiveness or better colleagues, which is usually impractical), but in our daily intentional activities.
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I prefer to think of the creation or construction of happiness, because research shows that it's in our power to fashion it for ourselves.
Sonja LyubomirskyRead
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