Most successes are unhappy. That's why they are successes - they have to reassure themselves about themselves by achieving something read more

Most successes are unhappy. That's why they are successes - they have to reassure themselves about themselves by achieving something that the world will notice.

Envy consists in seeing things never in themselves, but only in their relations. If you desire glory, you may envy read more

Envy consists in seeing things never in themselves, but only in their relations. If you desire glory, you may envy Napoleon, but Napoleon envied Caesar, Caesar envied Alexander, and Alexander, I daresay, envied Hercules, who never existed.

Unhappiness does make people look stupid

Unhappiness does make people look stupid

Given the amount of unjust suffering and unhappiness in the world, I am deeply grateful for, sometimes even perplexed by, read more

Given the amount of unjust suffering and unhappiness in the world, I am deeply grateful for, sometimes even perplexed by, how much misery I have been spared.

If you optimize everything, you will always be unhappy.

If you optimize everything, you will always be unhappy.

When you are unhappy, is there anything more maddening than to be told that you should be contented with your read more

When you are unhappy, is there anything more maddening than to be told that you should be contented with your lot?

Unhappiness is best defined as the difference between our talents and our expectations

Unhappiness is best defined as the difference between our talents and our expectations

Unhappiness is not knowing what we want, and killing ourselves to get it.

Unhappiness is not knowing what we want, and killing ourselves to get it.

When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we read more

When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.