The belief that unhappiness is selfless and happiness is selfish is misguided. It's more selfless to act happy. It takes energy, generosity, and discipline to be unfailingly lighthearted, yet everyone takes the happy person for granted. No one is careful of his feelings or tries to keep his spirits high. He seems self-sufficient; he becomes a cushion for others. And because happiness seems unforced, that person usually gets no credit.

—Gretchen Rubin in The Happiness Project

happiness belief effort generosity feelings discipline energy unhappiness selfishness care selflessness lightheartedness

About Gretchen Rubin

Portrait of Gretchen Rubin

Gretchen Craft Rubin (born December 14, 1965) is an American author, blogger and speaker.

More quotations from Gretchen Rubin

When I thought about why I was sometimes reluctant to push myself, I realized that it was because I was afraid of failure—but in order to have more success, I needed to be willing to accept more failure.

—Gretchen Rubin

fear acceptance failure reluctance

The things that go wrong often make the best memories.

—Gretchen Rubin in The Happiness Project

planning surprise memories

The days are long, but the years are short.

—Gretchen Rubin

time perception

There's a great satisfaction in knowing that we've made good use of our days, that we've lived up to our expectations of ourselves.

—Gretchen Rubin in Better Than Before

satisfaction expectations good use

Although people sometimes assume that the happy are self-absorbed and complacent, just the opposite is true. In general, happiness doesn't make people want to drink daiquiris on the beach; it makes them want to help rural villagers gain better access to clean water.

—Gretchen Rubin in Happier at Home

More quotations tagged with “care”

I often pray, though I'm not really sure Anyone's listening; and I phrase it carefully, just in case He's literary.

—Mignon McLaughlin

God listening prayer care

Care is a state in which something does matter; it is the source of human tenderness.

It's a question of discipline," the little prince told me. "When you've finished washing and dressing each morning, you must tend your planet.

—Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

cleaning discipline care

Be pleasant until ten o'clock in the morning and the rest of the day will take care of itself.

—Elbert Hubbard

Be careful how you interpret the world: it is like that.

—Erich Heller

perception care

History

15 Jun 2015 Added