Habits For Happiness Novel Quotes Novels & Stories

“All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy. That's how far the world is from where I am. Just one bad day.” Never in my life did I believe there would be a day when a quote from a comic would relate so closely to me. But recently, I started feeling that the bad days in my life are far more than the good. I was so tired of fighting to keep my sanity. To fight to stay afloat of the sea of misery that was pulling me to its depths with every passing day. I didn’t think I had more strength to swim. I gave up.

Happiness is an attitude of mind, born of the simple determination to be happy under all outward circumstances." - J. Donald Walters Opening his eyes, Vicky gazed out the window at a bright blue sky above thousands of waves, creating a motion picture of sounds and surf. Flying seagulls with their piercing squawks over the mighty ocean were enhancing the vast view, making it more poignant and vivid. "What could I do?"

~~~~LANCE'S POV~~~~ There is this quote that says, "Happiness isn't the absence of pain but the triumph over it." After every storm, the sun rises, and after every heartbreak, love finds its way back. I have known darkness, regret, and loss—but today, I choose happiness. I choose the future and not the past. As I stepped out of the bathroom with the towel wrapped around my waist, my eyes landed on a small framed picture on my table. I picked it up, my fingers brushing against the glass.

Why did I throw that all away? I fiercely wiped the tears away from my cheeks. Why can’t I just be happy where I am? Andrew has found happiness without me, I should be able to do the same… I buried my face in my pillow and screamed—a guttural, primal scream that shook me to my very core. I just wanted to be happy, Goddess damn it! Why could I not be happy? “It’s never too late to grab for your true happiness, wherever that might lead you,” Jeffrey’s words echoed through my mind.

For a long time neither of them spoke. They didn't need to. The answer was sitting right in front of them. A year earlier they had been fighting for survival. Now they were planning vacations. Attending school events. Hosting family dinners. Arguing about movie choices. Living. Really living. As the night grew darker, Sophia found herself smiling. Not because everything was perfect. Because she finally understood something. Happiness wasn't the absence of problems. It was the presence of peace despite them. And peace had finally found its way home.

He suddenly felt that he was so stupid. For all those years, he thought he would never be happy again. Ever after meeting Elena, he was still in constant doubt that he might not be good enough for her. But at that moment, when she stood in front of him in that dress and with that smile, he suddenly understood. Happiness is the easiest thing in the world, as long as you find the right person and hear her say those three words. “Yes, I do.” And, “Yes, I do.” (The end…)

Seeing that he wasn't angry, I continued to eat. After a while, out of the blue, Quentin asked me, "For you, what is happiness?" I paused while eating, looking at Quentin. Why ask such abstract questions? "Happiness, happiness is..." I tilted my head, "Making money?" Quentin: "..." I laughed foolishly. I felt that my answer was perfect, even wanting to applaud myself, "Yes, happiness is making money!" Quentin patted his pocket, "Do you need money?" I didn't answer. I had never thought of asking Quentin for money.

Ryan tried talking to me in the beginning, but eventually saw I needed to be alone with my thoughts… and so he let me go. There was a movie I once saw called Kiss Of The Spider Woman. It was about a couple of prisoners in a South American jail cell. One line I particularly loved was from William Hurt, who played a gay man imprisoned for his sexuality. It went something like this: The most wonderful thing about being happy is that you think you’ll never be unhappy again. I love that quote, because it’s so true. When you’re truly happy, everything is bliss – and always will be. You’re absolutely sure of that fact deep down in your bones.

She paused, looking out at the horizon of attentive faces. “We are much more afraid of being happy than of suffering. Because suffering is familiar — we have learned how to move through it. Happiness is unknown territory. It’s where we wait for the other shoe to drop. This book is about learning to stay in unknown territory without waiting for catastrophe. It’s about discovering that you can be happy without being wrong for it.” And this third one was a declaration. The passage she chose to read was from the central chapter, the excerpt that had been the hardest and most honest to write:

Leo immediately started talking about school, games, and a classmate who accidentally spilled paint on himself. Naomi listened carefully while smiling. These moments healed her more than anything else. Simple conversations. Warm food. Laughter inside a small apartment. For years she thought happiness needed something big. Money. Success. Security. But now she realized happiness often lived inside tiny moments people almost ignored. Later that night, after dinner, Naomi sat near the window sketching quietly while Leo colored beside her. “Mama?” “Yes?” “Are we poor?” Naomi blinked in surprise. “Why are you asking that?”