It is not the style of clothes one wears, neither the kind of automobile one drives, nor the amount of money one has in the bank, that counts. These mean nothing. It is simply service that measures success.
George Washington CarverRead
To those who have as yet not learned the secret of true happiness, which is the joy of coming into the closest relationship with the Maker and Preserver of all things: begin now to study the little things in your own door yard.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True happiness comes from a close relationship with the Creator and appreciating the little things around us.
George Washington Carver suggests that happiness is rooted in a deep connection with the divine and an appreciation for the small, often overlooked aspects of life. By encouraging individuals to study and find joy in their immediate environment, he emphasizes the importance of mindfulness and gratitude in achieving true contentment.
Themes
HappinessRelationshipMakerAppreciationJoy
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about finding joy in life, one might reference Carver's perspective on happiness.
More from George Washington Carver
All quotes →We have become 99 percent money mad. The method of living at home modestly and within our income, laying a little by systematically for the proverbial rainy day which is due to come, can almost be listed among the lost arts.
George Washington CarverRead
I would never allow anyone to give me money, no difference how badly I needed it. I wanted literally to earn my living.
George Washington CarverRead
Fear of something is at the root of hate for others, and hate within will eventually destroy the hater.
George Washington CarverRead
God is going to reveal to us things He never revealed before if we put our hands in His. No books ever go into my laboratory. The thing I am to do and the way of doing it are revealed to me. I never have to grope for methods. The method is revealed to me the moment I am inspired to create something new. Without God to draw aside the curtain I would be helpless.
George Washington CarverRead
Nothing is more beautiful than the loveliness of the woods before sunrise.
George Washington CarverRead
Similar quotes
Living is being happy: seeing, hearing, touching, drinking, eating, urinating, defecating, diving into the water and gazing at the sky, laughing and crying.
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The really wonderful moments of joy in this world are not the moments of self-satisfaction, but self-forgetfulness. Standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon and contemplating your own greatness is pathological. At such moments we are made for a magnificent joy that comes from outside ourselves.
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One reason I don't drink is that I want to know when I am having a good time.
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True happiness is to rejoice in the truth, for to rejoice in the truth is to rejoice in You, O God, who are the truth... Those who think that there is another kind of happiness look for joy elsewhere, but theirs is not true joy.
Saint AugustineRead
Being happy or unhappy - is that really the most important thing? Knowing the truth would be a different kind of happiness - a more satisfying kind, I think, even if it turned out to be a sad kind.
Ira LevinRead
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.
Fumio SasakiRead