10 Quotes About Why You Should Never Chase Happiness

We all have moments in life when things do not go as planned. It can be a broken relationship, loss of our job or the discovery of a new disease in our body. These things often come suddenly and catch us off guard. We simply cannot anticipate them.

As a counteraction to the events mentioned above, we may come into a long-lasting struggle with ourselves in the search for happiness. We are convinced that we could have done better, and so we make a decision to change no matter what.

Soon enough, we realize that our desire to be happy is not actually making us any happier. On the contrary, we struggle a lot and as a result become more annoyed with ourselves.

I often found myself in situations, where I would look at others and become jealous of what they were capable of reaching in life. I would then try to do the same by copying them, but that didn’t do it for me either – I just wasn’t getting the same results.

On other occasions, my mind was greatly influenced by the society and the things that it considers as important. I would then look at myself and feel pathetic and extremely discouraged for who I am.

Soon enough, I came to the conclusion that the only times when I feel incredibly happy with myself are the times when I completely detach myself from others. It’s not an easy task to do – to not care about what others do, think or say. But when you do manage to do it, that’s when you realize how happy one can be without even having much in life.

One should not chase happiness and one should not force it. If one chooses to live a life that way, it will always be full of suffering and pain. I know this because this is how I feel/felt it, and this is how people around me feel it as well.

Do not chase happiness… 10 quotes, 10 reasons

Everyone chases after happiness, not noticing that happiness is right at their heels.
– Bertolt Brecht

A simple and beautiful quote. This is exactly what I mentioned earlier. Whenever I would force myself to chase happiness, it would always become so much harder to attain it. But when I realized that I can be happy about even the smallest things right here and right now, life gained back its colors.

Happiness is like a butterfly: the more you chase it, the more it will elude you; but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.
– Henry Thoreau

When you chase happiness, you really do push your luck. You try to see happiness in things that do not necessarily hold it. It may only be your assumptions that a certain object or event will bring you happiness. In reality, it may be the opposite.

When you hold still and begin to improve on what you already have instead of trying to attain what you don’t, that is when you may unexpectedly feel the joy. Happiness really is like a butterfly.

Recommended for reading: Never Give Up – The Power of Positive and Negative Motivation

Happiness is not something you chase and catch, it is something you choose.
– Steven Aitchison

I know a person that desperately tries to be happy. This person is in an everlasting battle to become happy, to become someone that he is not. Instead of taking deep breaths in, analyzing what his problem is and improving on it, he always looks ahead, leaving the present blind and behind.

I think to be happy you really do need to choose it. This means hard work and personal transformations. If you are not willing to put the work in, you will forever chase it and never catch it. Happiness always starts from within.

Do not chase happiness. Instead, define success for yourself; then go out and live it. Be unapologetic in your commitment and honorable in your behavior. When you live in this manner, happiness chases you.
– Steve Maraboli

When one really focuses on him/herself, that is when the real changes begin to take place. When you focus on the things that you have promised yourself to do, when you keep consistency and make it a part of your life, that is when you will inevitably feel joy.

Being able to execute and to not let yourself down is an incredible feeling.

If it’s both terrifying and amazing, then you should definitely pursue it.
– Erada

I have come to the conclusion that if you are willing to pursue something to become happier, then make it special and worthwhile. If it’s easy to achieve and will not require much work from your side, then it won’t make you feel good, at least not for long.

I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.
– Brene Brown

One of the most important things you can do is to learn to be grateful for what you already have.

Sometimes before bed, or even when I wake up, I mentally prepare myself for the day. I think about all the things that I am grateful for – for being able to walk this planet, for all the people that I meet, for my relatives, health, the things that I have in life.

There are so many things we take for granted in life, and that’s one reason why we constantly feel unhappy. If you only take some time each day to think about what you have and what so many others don’t, you will realize that you really don’t have any reasons to be unhappy. By being aware, we are able to embrace life as it is.

Of course, it is good to have ambitions and goals in life, but don’t undervalue the things that you already have.

Recommended for reading: Happiness, Inner Peace and Stress Relief – Stories of Schwarzenegger, Dalai Lama, Oprah, Jim Carrey and Others

Money is numbers and numbers never end. If it takes money to be happy, your search for happiness will never end.
– Bob Marley

Many people think that money equals happiness. And while money can definitely help one to be happier, it will not buy you your happiness.

Think of money as energy that flows into your life as a response to when you are doing the right thing. If you are able to do what you love, you will be happy and therefore successful. Money will follow.

Don’t look at money as the final destination, but rather as something that can help you getting there.

You can chase happiness or you can choose happiness… it all depends on how much time you want to save!
– Robert Holden

A very similar quote to one of the previous, but still very special in its own way. I love it how it doesn’t tell you what is wrong. You will always have a choice, but make it wisely.

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.
– Albert Schweitzer

Again, don’t go too far trying to chase happiness. You may think that by becoming successful you will automatically become happy. But how will you become successful in doing the things you don’t necessarily love? Therefore, begin with what you are best and with what you love to do most. If you pick the right things, that is when happiness will be success, and success will be happiness.

When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.
– John Lennon

This final quote is simply one of my favorite. I could not have left it out.

I hope you have enjoyed these quotes and my interpretations of them. If you feel like you also want to share something with me, just leave it in the comments below. I am always happy to read about what others have to say. 🙂

Thank you for stopping by and good luck!

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