True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient, for he that is so wants nothing. The greatest blessings of mankind are within us and within our reach. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not.

But nothing delights the mind so much as fond and loyal friendship. What a blessing it is to have hearts that are ready and willing to receive all your secretes in safety, with whom you are less afraid to share knowledge of something than keep it to yourself, whose conversation soothes your distress, whose advice helps you make up your mind, whose cheerfulness dissolves your sorrow, whose very appearance cheers you up!

El único bien, causa y soporte de la vida feliz, consiste en confiar en sí mismo.

What pleasure is there in seeing new lands? Or in surveying cities and spots of interest? All your bustle is useless. Do you ask why such flight does not help you? It is because you flee along with yourself. You must lay aside the burdens of the mind; until you do this, no place willsatisfy you. [...] The person you are matters more than the place to which you go.

There is nothing in the world so much admired as a man who knows how to bear unhappiness with courage."— Seneca

We are born under circumstances that would be favorable if we did not abandon them. It was nature's intention that there should be no need of great equipment for a good life: every individual can make himself happy.

A man is as wretched as he has convinced himself that he is. Therefore do away with complaint about past sufferings and with all language like this: "None has ever been worse off than I. What sufferings, what evils have I endured!" after all, what point is there in being unhappy, just because once you were unhappy.