in most cases

 

“I wish everyone could get rich and famous and have everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that's not the answer.”
- Jim Carrey [born 1962]

trouble-free

Papyrus depicting Cleopatra VII sitting on her throne

Relatively little changed for 3000 years in Ancient Egypt [3100 BCE-30 BCE] e.g. the wheel was adopted late and was not used in the construction of the pyramids. Secondary sources claim it was a time of relative happiness.

on frenemies

"Comparison defeats joy."
- Joe Rogan [born 1967] in the aftermath of announcing his $200 million Spotify deal and advising the most bitter to simply get better.

logician

“To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness.”

– Bertrand Russell [1872-1970]

on dissatisfaction, unhappiness

"The best art in the universe is created through intense suffering."
- David Choe [born 1976]

apex of world history

Age of Antonines [reigned AD 138–161]: limited historical writings remain, but in this humble anti-tyrannical reign there were few and short lived wars, rare civil strife, prosperity globally and happiness across all ranks. But 180 AD marked the beginning of Rome's end.

Duchess

"The point of life is not just to survive something, but to thrive, be happy."
- Meghan Markle

can money buy us happiness?

Sir Angus Deaton, Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences 2015, gives his answer here.

Happiest cities in America

Source: WalletHub

Yale happiness course

Available here.

Harvard "D" student

“The real spiel I have for you is to have a good time while you are in your jobs. Have a good time. The newspaper will be great if you’re having a good time.”
- Ben Bradlee to graduates at the Columbia School of Journalism, May 2007

on figurative and literal death

"Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened."
- Axiom

Brave New World

“I'd rather be myself," he said. "Myself and nasty. Not somebody else, however jolly.”

- Aldous Huxley

"If you just keep moving ...

... sadness can't catch you."
- Theodore Roosevelt on the "Strenuous Life."

the greatest competitive advantage?

"Happiness."
- Shawn Achor

about the ride

"The joy we feel growing towards our potential."
- Ancient Greeks on happiness 

Rules for Happiness

“Something to do, someone to love, something for which to hope.”

- Immanuel Kant

Theory of Happiness

"... a quiet and modest life brings more joy than a pursuit of success bound with constant unrest."
- Albert Einstein

"just another card in the deck"

"I've never trusted happiness."
- Billy Bob Thornton

happiest thought of his life

"If gravity and acceleration feel the same, perhaps they are the same."
- Einstein