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Unhappiness is something we are never taught about; we are taught to expect happiness, but never a Plan B to use to use when the happiness doesn't arrive.
Douglas Coupland
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote highlights society's focus on happiness and the lack of preparation for unhappiness.

Douglas Coupland's quote emphasizes the societal expectation of happiness and the neglect of teaching individuals how to cope with unhappiness. It suggests that while people are encouraged to chase after happiness, they are often left unprepared for the inevitable challenges and emotional struggles that life presents when happiness is elusive.

Themes

UnhappinessHappinessExpectationsLife LessonsCoping

In practice

Example use cases

In a therapy session where discussing emotional resilience is important.

More from Douglas Coupland

Remember: the time you feel lonely is the time you most need to be by yourself. Life's cruelest irony.
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...we're told by TV and Reader's Digest that a crisis will trigger massive personal change--and that those big changes will make the pain worthwhile. But from what he could see, big change almost never happens. People simply feel lost. They have no idea what to say or do or feel or think. they become messes and tend to remain messes.
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When the world throws you too much information, the only way you can stay sane or survive is to look for pattern recognition. Amidst all the blurs, is there a constellation that emerges, is there a straight line that's emerging?
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I'm not patient - and I'm getting more impatient as I get older - but I am disciplined about writing, and I want that on my tombstone: 'He wasn't patient, but he was disciplined.'
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If you waste five minutes of time a day, over the course of a year that adds up to one full work day. Think of five wasted minutes as a slow-release holiday drug. Savour it.
Douglas CouplandRead
When someone tells you they’ve just bought a house, they might as well tell you they no longer have a personality. You can immediately assume so many things: that they’re locked into jobs they hate; that they’re broke; that they spend every night watching videos; that they’re fifteen pounds overweight; that they no longer listen to new ideas. It’s profoundly depressing.
Douglas CouplandRead

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