Happiness in this world, when it comes, comes incidentally. Make it the object of pursuit, and it leads us a wild-goose chase, and is never attained. Follow some other object, and very possibly we may find that we have caught happiness without dreaming of it.

Nathaniel Hawthorne
About This Quote

Happiness in this world, when it comes, comes incidentally. Make it the object of pursuit, and it leads us a wild-goose chase, and is never attained. Follow some other object, and very possibly we may find that we have caught happiness without dreaming of it. Happiness in this world is very hard to get.

It is more often than not lost rather than gained. If you want to be happy, then follow an occupation that brings happiness to the world. For example, if you want to be happy and don’t know what to do with your life, think about how you can contribute to the happiness of others and make a difference in your community or surrounding areas.

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More Quotes By Nathaniel Hawthorne
  1. Love, whether newly born or aroused from a deathlike slumber, must always create sunshine, filling the heart so full of radiance, that it overflows upon the outward world.
  2. Oh, for the years I have not lived, but only dreamed of living.
  3. Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.
  4. Every individual has a place to fill in the world and is important in some respect, whether he chooses to be so or not.
  5. Death should take me while I am in the mood.
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