69 Pursuit of Happiness Quotes That Will Make You Smile

No matter your age, race, or gender, we all strive for happiness.

The inspirational pursuit of happiness quotes below will help you make strides towards your unique brand of happiness. 

What does happiness look like to you? 

When you’re truly happy, everything else falls into place including your career, relationships, and family.

Many of us see happiness as just out of arm’s reach.

At Everyday Power, we’re here to remind you that you aren’t alone.

We are all in that age-old pursuit in some way. 

Below are curated quotes from politicians, authors, musicians, and TV personalities about the pursuit of happiness and what happiness truly means to them.

If you’re looking for a boost of inspiration, then you’ve come to the right place. 

Take a look at the pursuit of happiness quotes below and get inspired.

Don’t forget to also read these inspiring free spirit quotes for those with a wild heart. 

If you like this article, we suggest you explore our most popular quotes article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily encouragement. 

Look through our complete collection of inspirational quotes here.

Pursuit of happiness quotes about happiness

1. “Our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed us, but is always the result of a good conscience, good health, occupation, and freedom in all just pursuits.” – Thomas Jefferson

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2. “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” – Mahatma Gandhi

3. “I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.” – Groucho Marx

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4. “Achievement of your happiness is the only moral purpose of your life, and that happiness, not pain or mindless self-indulgence, is the proof of your moral integrity, since it is the proof and the result of your loyalty to the achievement of your values.” – Ayn Rand

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5. “Happiness never lays its finger on its pulse.” – Adam Smith

6. “Happiness is a direction, not a place.” – Sydney J. Harris

7. “Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.” — Jim Rohn

8. “The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.” – Benjamin Franklin

9. “It is neither wealth nor splendor; but tranquility and occupation which give you happiness.” – Thomas Jefferson 

10. “Happiness is found in doing, not merely possessing.” – Napoleon Hill

11. “You can be happy where you are.” – Joel Osteen

12. “There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.” – Epictetus 
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13. “A happy life must be to a great extent a quiet life, for it is only in an atmosphere of quiet that true joy dare live.” – Bertrand Russell

14. “The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.” – Henry Ward Beecher 

15. “True happiness is… to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca

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Pursuit of happiness quotes on goals

16. “When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.” – Confucius

17. “Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” – Pablo Picasso

18. “If what you are doing is not moving you towards your goals, then it’s moving you away from your goals.” – Brian Tracy

19. “I think goals should never be easy, they should force you to work, even if they are uncomfortable at the time.” – Michael Phelps

20. “Goals enable you to do more for yourself and others, too.” – Zig Ziglar

21. “If you want to accomplish the goals of your life, you have to begin with the spirit.” – Oprah Winfrey

22. “You need to overcome the tug of people against you as you reach for high goals.” – George S. Patton

23. “Goals help you channel your energy into action.” – Les Brown

24. “Getting organized in the normal routines of life and finishing little projects you’ve started is an important first step toward realizing larger goals. If you can’t get a handle on the small things, how will you ever get it together to focus on the big things?” – Joyce Meyer

25. “People with clear, written goals, accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than people without them could ever imagine.” – Brian Tracy

26. “Each of you, as an individual, must pick your own goals. Listen to others, but do not become a blind follower.” – Thurgood Marshall

Also read these inspirational Mr. Rogers quotes to make every day beautiful.

Pursuit of happiness quotes on setbacks

27. “You know, everybody has setbacks in their life, and everybody falls short of whatever goals they might set for themselves. That’s part of living and coming to terms with who you are as a person.” – Hillary Clinton

28. “If you so choose, even the unexpected setbacks can bring new and positive possibilities. If you so choose, you can find value and fulfillment in every circumstance.” – Ralph Marston

29. “There’s always gonna be setbacks; there’s always gonna be knockdowns. There’s always gonna be people telling you, ‘Hey, you suck!’” – Post Malone

30. “If you get knocked down – setbacks in life, like applying for a job if they don’t hire you – keep trying, keep getting up, keep doing it.” – Mr. T

31. “Do not allow setbacks to set you back.” – Stacey Abrams

32. “There’s no more powerful lesson than knowing that your setbacks will one day help you succeed.” – Reshma Saujani

33. “Mentally strong people overcome setbacks with confidence because adversity only makes them better.” – Amy Morin

34. “The skills you acquire can always be effectively redeployed. You will look back on setbacks and be grateful for the catalyst that came not a moment too soon.” – Tom Freston

35. “The skills you acquire can always be effectively redeployed. You will look back on setbacks and be grateful for the catalyst that came not a moment too soon.” – Payal Kadakia

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Pursuit of happiness quotes about positivity

36. “Positivity, confidence, and persistence are key in life, so never give up on yourself.” – Khalid

37. “Positivity attracts positivity.” – Alyssa Edwards

38. “Surround yourself with good people; surround yourself with positivity and people who are going to challenge you to make you better.” – Ali Krieger

39. “Positivity is like a muscle: keep exercising it, and it becomes a habit.” – Natalie Massenet

40. “The high road and positivity is never the easy way but always the best way.” – Nancy Wilson

41. “Positivity helps with everything in life.” – Stella Maxwell

42. “Positivity is such a high predictor of success rates.” – Shawn Achor

43. “Happiness, the feeling of positivity, really is the foundation of productivity.” – Miguel McKelvey

44. “I feel like everybody should just spread more love and positivity in the world. You know, positivity and love is what makes the world go around.” – Murda Beatz

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Powerful pursuit of happiness quotes

45. “It is not in the pursuit of happiness that we find fulfillment, it is in the happiness of pursuit.” – Denis Waitley

46. “Equal access to reading is fundamental to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” – Karin Slaughter

47. “The pursuit of happiness is a most ridiculous phrase: if you pursue happiness you’ll never find it.” – Carrie Snow

48. “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is part of our constitutional rights and it belongs to everybody.” – Jeffrey Tambor

49. “I think the pursuit of happiness is the pursuit of reality because illusion never leaves us ultimately happy.” – Parker Palmer

50. “There is no such thing as the pursuit of happiness, but there is the discovery of joy.” – Joyce Grenfell

If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of smile quotes to help keep a smile on your face.

More pursuit of happiness quotes and sayings

51. “Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.” – Guillaume Apollinaire

52. “Happiness is not a destination. It is a method of life.” – Burton Hill

53. “If only we’d stop trying to be happy, we could have a pretty good time.” – Edith Wharton

54. “Happiness always looks small while you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and you learn at once how big and precious it is.” – Maxim Gorky

55. To live happily is an inward power of the soul.” – Marcus Aurelius

56. Indeed, man wishes to be happy even when he so lives as to make happiness impossible.” – Saint Augustine

57. “The ‘pursuit of happiness’ is responsible for a good part of the ills and miseries of the modern world.” – Malcolm Muggeridge

58. “It is the pursuit of happiness that brings us happiness, and not the happiness achieved.” – Jack White

59. “Essentially pursuit of happiness is saying, everything’s allowed until we come down on it.” – Howard Rheingold

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Pursuit of Happiness Quotes To Give You Freedom

60. “I believe in the supreme worth of the individual and in his right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” — John D. Rockefeller

61. “Any pursuit of happiness contrary to the common good is doomed to failure.” — Alice Hegan Rice

62. “To me, that’s the key thing, the pursuit of happiness. That’s the basic, ultimate freedom.” — Jerry Garcia

63. “Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities.” — Aldous Huxley

64. “Reading is by far the most successful pursuit of happiness.” — John Grisham

65. “It’s a great game – the pursuit of happiness.” — Eugene O’Neill

66. “When we reflect on the shortness and uncertainty of life, how despicable all our pursuits of happiness are.” — David Hume

67. “As with the pursuit of happiness, the pursuit of truth is itself gratifying whereas the consummation often turns out to be elusive.” — Richard Hofstadter

68. “Slow down in your pursuit of happiness and it’s more likely to catch up with you.” — Ernie J Zelinski

69. “The pursuit of happiness is an overview kind of thing. It’s not in the Bill of Rights.” — Jerry Garcia

Where are you in your pursuit of happiness? 

One of the above quotes that connected with me is from journalist Sydney J. Harris,  “Happiness is a direction, not a place.”

People spend their whole lives chasing happiness when there is so much happiness in their day-to-day lives.

For example, I find happiness in waking up just before the sun and watching the sunrise with my morning cup of tea. 

When you reveal positivity in your own life, you are moving in the right direction.

Today, take time to embrace the positivity around you, no matter how small. 

What’s your favorite pursuit of happiness quote we have featured here?

Let us know in the comments section below!