Studies have shown that positive thoughts are linked to positive outcomes. They can boost your mood, improve your cognitive function and even increase your chances of success at work and school (1). These positivity quotes can be an instant mood-booster!
Of course, happy thinking is easier said than done. Some days, you might need a little push to help you reach a healthier mindset. This is where positivity quotes can come in handy.
Are you ready to change your outlook on life? Here are some motivating, uplifting quotes about being happy!
1. “Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.”
– Abraham Lincoln
Happiness is a choice. It can be a difficult one, especially if you’re going through hard times, but it isn’t something that will be dropped in your lap without effort. You have to choose it.
2. “An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means that it’s going to launch you into something great.”
– Paulo Coelho
Some of the best positivity quotes are about perspective. Instead of being dragged down by your troubles, try to view them as springboards for the future.
3. “One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our windows today.”
– Dale Carnegie
There’s nothing wrong with dreaming about a better life. However, you should be careful not to let these idyllic fantasies consume you. Make sure that your dreams are a motivational tool and not a crutch for reality.
4. “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”
– Dolly Parton
If this sounds like something that the queen of country would say, you’re absolutely right. Dolly Parton dropped this pearl of wisdom many years ago, but it’s still popular today because of its charm, wisdom and simplicity.
5. “It’s entirely possible that the best days of your life have yet to come.”
– Anonymous
Think back on the happiest day of your life so far. Did you expect it? Five years ago, would you have predicted it? How do you know that you won’t reach even happier times in another five years?
6. “Take responsibility of your own happiness. Never put it in other people’s hands.”
– Roy T. Bennett
If you’re looking for realistic quotes about being happy, here’s one for you. It might be a little too blunt to embroider on a tea cosy, but it’s a good quote nonetheless.
7. “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”
– Albert Einstein
You didn’t fail. You just found a way that didn’t work. Now that you’re armed with better knowledge and experience than before, you can try again.
8. “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.”
– Helen Keller
This beautiful quote comes from Helen Keller. If anyone knows about making the best of a bad situation, it’s her!
9. “Do it with enthusiasm or not at all.”
– Anonymous
When you react to a situation with joy, you directly engage the prefrontal cortex of your brain (2). Not only does this produce happy-making hormones, but it can also boost things like self-esteem and self-confidence.
10. “You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness.”
– Jonathan Safran Foer
If you’ve been hurt, there’s no shame in taking some time to heal. This applies to both physical and emotional wounds. Just make sure that you don’t permanently close yourself off.
11. “They say that a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do and something to hope for.”
– Tom Bodett
If you’re stuck in a rut, this is a quote that might help you break free. Do you have all three of these things? If not, what actions can you take to achieve them?
12. “Happy people plan actions. They don’t plan results.”
– Dennis Wholey
Take the chance. Roll the dice. Sometimes, that’s all that you can do.
13. “If you aren’t grateful for what you already have, what makes you think you would be happy with more?”
– Roy T. Bennett
One of the best things that you can do for your mental health is develop a gratitude habit. When you learn how to count your blessings, you might just find that happiness is easier to achieve than you think.
14. “Once we make our decision, all things will come to us. Auspicious signs are not a superstition, but a confirmation. They are a response.”
– Deng Ming-Dao
This was spoken by a philosopher and martial artist named Deng Ming-Dao. It’s one of his best positivity quotes because it ties into the idea of fate, karma and cosmic energy. The universe is looking out for you. You just have to open your ears and listen.
15. “What is the difference between an obstacle and an opportunity? Our attitude toward it. Every opportunity has a difficulty, and every difficulty has an opportunity.”
– J. Sidlow Baxter
Two people can approach a bump in the road with entirely different mindsets. Make sure that your mindset is a positive one.
16. “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.”
– Wayne Gretzky
This is a quote from a famous hockey player named Wayne Gretzky. It means that you should always focus on the future instead of lingering on the past.
17. “I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know that just to be alive is a grand thing.”
– Agatha Christie
This is another quote about counting your blessings. It comes from Agatha Christie, and she knows a thing or two about living an exciting life!
18. “Sometimes when things are falling apart they may actually be falling into place.”
– Anonymous
You might not be able to see the path that the universe has laid before you, but it exists. You just have to keep walking.
19. “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
– Maya Angelou
Do you know why the caged bird sings? Maya Angelou figured it out. Have you?
20. “Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys. If he counted them up as he ought to, he would see that every lot has enough happiness provided for it.”
– Fyodor Dostoevsky
Never take anything for granted. If you need to, start making a list every night of the day’s triumphs and sorrows. The good things in a person’s life almost always outnumber the bad things.
21. “What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.”
– Richard Bach
Transformation isn’t always beautiful. It isn’t always painless. Sometimes, you don’t even know that you’re doing it. But the end result is still beautiful.
22. “The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up.”
– Mark Twain
Is life getting you down? Put a smile on someone else’s face. Good deeds lead to happy hearts.
23. “There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
– Albert Einstein
You control how you see the world. If you want the glass to be half-empty, it will be half-empty. You’ll need to make a conscious effort to think more positivity.
24. “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
– Nelson Mandela
Even when it feels like a massive effort just to get out of bed, the truth is that you are capable of doing it, and you can work through your bad feelings and feel better. It only seems insurmountable until you’ve put your feet on the floor.
25. “You can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will.”
– Stephen King
This is one of our favorite positivity quotes. It’s so simple. If you want it, do it!
26. “Sometimes life doesn’t give you something you want, not because you don’t deserve it, but because you deserve more.”
– Anonymous
You never know when bad luck is actually good luck in disguise. You just have to keep going.
27. “Happiness is not the absence of problems. It’s the ability to deal with them.”
– Steve Maraboli
No one has a perfect life. Everyone deals with pain and conflict. What tools are you going to use to cope with them?
28. “Happiness comes in waves. It’ll find you again.”
– Anonymous
Positivity quotes come in all shapes and sizes, but this is one of the best. If you’re at sea, just wait for the tide to bring you back. Nothing lasts forever, and that includes sadness, strife, pain and negativity.
29. “So do it. Decide. Is this the life you want to live? Is this the person you want to love? And is this the best you can be? Can you be stronger? Kinder? More compassionate? Decide. Breathe in. Breathe out and decide.”
– Grey’s Anatomy
You might recognize this monologue from the hit TV show Grey’s Anatomy. It’s one of the best quotes about happy because it puts the power in your own hands. What kind of life do you want to live? No one else can decide that for you.
30. “Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.”
– Guillaume Apollinaire
Don’t get so obsessed with building the garden that you forget to stop and smell the roses!
31. “A problem is a chance for you to do your best.”
– Duke Ellington
Instead of getting upset with a problem, look at it as a chance to increase your knowledge, experience, intelligence, and maturity. You’ll feel much better about it.
32. “Keep calm and be crazy, laugh, love, and live it up because this is the oldest you’ve been and the youngest you’ll ever be again.”
– Anonymous
Life is crazy. There’s no getting around that. You might as well enjoy it while you can!
33. “If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you will find an excuse.”
– Anonymous
At the end of the day, happiness is a choice. If you truly want it, you’ll figure out how to get it, and you won’t let any obstacles stop you.
Final Thoughts on Positivity Quotes
Positivity isn’t magic. It’s science. If you want to eat better, sleep deeper, laugh louder and live longer, print out some of these positivity quotes about being happy and let them guide you towards a better future.
