Everything that leads to happiness involves pain.

… Many people avoid some of the very things that would bring them the deepest happiness such as marriage, children, intellectually challenging pursuits, religious commitment, and volunteer work. They fear the pain that inevitably accompanies such things and therefore devote more time to ‘fun’ things that bring little happiness, such as watching television.

As the Psalmist put it millennia ago, ‘Those who sow in tears will reap in joy.’ Many people, however, believe that they can both sow and reap without tears.

… given my view that tragedy is normal, I try to be happy unless something happens that makes me unhappy, rather than unhappy unless something makes me happy. Most people go through life waiting for something wonderful to happen to make them happy. My attitude is so long as nothing terrible is happening to us, we ought to be happy.

Children are God’s or nature’s practical joke on couples—that which is produced by passion then proceeds to nearly kill it.

Raise children who are grateful in general, and grateful to be an American in particular, or grateful to be the citizen of any decent country, who don't complain much, who learn to handle losing, and who are guided by values, not feelings. In other words, teach them how to be happy adults.

Everything worthwhile in life is attained through hard work. Happiness is not an exception.

I often wonder if I am entitled to be as happy as I am, given the amount of suffering in the world.

Most people wait until tragedy strikes before thinking about how to incorporate tragedy into their life.