“Unhappiness is the hunger to get; happiness is the hunger to give. . . . If the individual should set out for a single day to give happiness, to make life happier, brighter and sweeter, not for himself but for others, he would find a wondrous revelation of what happiness really is.”
What this quote means
Jordan contrasts unhappiness, centered on receiving, with happiness, centered on giving. The desire to receive creates perpetual dissatisfaction because it depends on external factors. Giving – time, attention, kindness – generates lasting inner joy. He proposes an experiment: devote an entire day to making others happy, and you will discover the true essence of happiness. It's an invitation to step outside yourself and experience generosity.
How to apply it daily
Devote a day to performing three anonymous acts of kindness for strangers or loved ones. Notice how it changes your mood and perspective.
Continue
Related quotes
Same author or same theme — keep reading.
“A day without laughter is a day wasted.”Create visual
“Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”Create visual
“The talent for being happy is appreciating and liking what you have, instead of what you don't have.”Create visual
“The world is full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings.”Create visual
“Many people lose the small joys in the hope for the big happiness.”Create visual
“The constant happiness is curiosity.”Create visual
More quotes by William George Jordan
“Happiness is the soul's joy in the possession of the intangible.”Create visual
“True happiness must have the tinge of sorrow outlived, the sense of pain softened by the mellowing years, the chastening of loss that in the wondrous mystery of time transmutes our suffering into love and sympathy with others.”Create visual