Our happiness is completely and utterly intertwined with other people: family and friends and neighbors and the woman you hardly notice who cleans your office. Happiness is not a noun or verb. It's a conjunction. Connective tissue.
Eric WeinerRead
I've spent most of my life trying to think my way to happiness, and my failure to achieve that goal only proves, in my mind, that I am not a good enough thinker. It never occurred to me that the source of my unhappiness is not flawed thinking but thinking itself.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Happiness is not solely a product of thinking; sometimes the act of overthinking can lead to unhappiness.
This quote by Eric Weiner suggests that the relentless pursuit of happiness through thought processes can lead to disappointment and self-judgment. The author reflects on the realization that the problem lies not in the quality of one’s thinking but in the nature of thinking itself, which can sometimes obstruct the path to true happiness.
Themes
HappinessThinkingMindsetUnhappinessSelf-Reflection
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about personal growth and happiness.
More from Eric Weiner
All quotes →[Happiness is] a ghost, it’s a shadow. You can’t really chase it. It’s a by-product, a very pleasant side effect to a life lived well.
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