What is worse than having no sight is being able to see but having no vision.
Helen KellerRead
Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within. It is not what we see and touch or that which others do for us which makes us happy; it is that which we think and feel and do, first for the other fellow and then for ourselves.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True happiness comes from within ourselves and our thoughts, not from external sources.
This quote emphasizes that happiness is an internal state rather than something derived from external circumstances or material possessions. It suggests that true joy stems from our own thoughts, feelings, and actions, particularly when we prioritize the well-being of others alongside our own happiness.
Themes
HappinessInternalSelfThoughtsFeelings
In practice
Example use cases
It could be used in a motivational speech about finding inner peace and happiness.
More from Helen Keller
All quotes βWhat could be worse than being born without sight? Being born with sight and no vision.
Helen KellerRead
Knowledge is power." Rather, knowledge is happiness, because to have knowledge - broad, deep knowledge - is to know true ends from false, and lofty things from low. To know the thoughts and deeds that have marked man's progress is to feel the great heart-throbs of humanity through the centuries; and if one does not feel in these pulsations a heavenward striving, one must indeed be deaf to the harmonies of life.
Helen KellerRead
Be not dumb, obedient slaves in an army of destruction. Be heroes in an army of construction.
Helen KellerRead
Our beloved ones have not 'gone to a far country.' It is only the veil of sense that separates them from us, and even that veil grows thin when our thoughts reach out to them.
Helen KellerRead
It's wonderful to climb the liquid mountains of the sky. Behind me and before me is God and I have no fears.
Helen KellerRead
Similar quotes
To wish happiness for others, even for those who want to do us harm, is the source of consummate happiness.
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheRead
There is no such thing as a perfectly happy or perfectly unhappy man in the world. One has more happiness in his life and another more unhappiness, and the same circumstance may produce widely different effects on individuals of different temperaments.
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Today, let us swim wildly, joyously in gratitude.
RumiRead
For, if we take an examination of what is generally understood by happiness, as it has respect either to the understanding or the senses, we shall find all its properties and adjuncts will herd under this short definition: that it is a perpetual possession of being well deceived.
Jonathan SwiftRead
No matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and cherish. There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it.
Dieter F. UchtdorfRead
To me, the message of my songs, of all songs, is "enjoy life." My message as a person who evidently doens't have much more planned is the same. It's the only message I ever thought art had any business having.
Warren ZevonRead