The biggest waste of time is to do well something that we need not do at all. — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
Embrace good smells. No cost, no calories, no energy, no time - a quick hit of pleasure. — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
People are powerfully moved by imagination, belief, and knowledge. They can consider the past and future. They can make changes in their… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
The most reliable predictor of not being lonely is the amount of contact with women. Time spent with men doesn't make a… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
I read a lot, all the time, but often I read books for research, or because they're interesting to me in some… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
Do I need fifty finger-painted pictures by my toddler, or is one enough to capture this time of life? Mementos work best… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
I'm constantly on the hunt for insights about happiness or ideas about how to be happier - which probably makes me a… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
I spend a lot of time saying to myself, "Well, is that really what I like to do? Is that really something… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
Whenever I'm trying to decide how to spend my precious time, energy, or money, I ask myself a series of questions. 'Will… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
“There are times in the lives of most of us,” observed William Edward Hartpole Lecky, “when we would have given all the… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
“While some more passive forms of leisure, such as watching TV or surfing the Internet, are fun in the short term, over… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
Whenever I start a new book, I think, 'This is the most interesting subject of all time. It's sad, I'll never enjoy… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
When I find myself focusing overmuch on the anticipated future happiness of arriving at a certain goal, I remind myself to 'Enjoy… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
One of the best ways to make yourself happy in the present is to recall happy times from the past. Photos are… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
If you're a night person you can barely get out of bed in time to get to work or get your kids… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
I always had the uncomfortable feeling that if I wasn't sitting in front of a computer typing, I was wasting my time… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
“The bus was hardly moving, but I could hardly keep pace with my own thoughts. “I’ve got to tackle this,” I told… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
It was time to expect more of myself. Yet as I thought about happiness, I kept running up against paradoxes. I wanted… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
“My home should calm me and energize me. It should be a comforting, quiet refuge and a place of excitement and possibility.… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
Happiness is a critical factor for work, and work is a critical factor for happiness. In one of those life-isn't-fair results, it… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
Most people enjoy 'potato-chip news' from time to time - to track a presidential election or the Oscars. However, some are particularly… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
I have a terrible memory of my own past. I can barely remember my childhood. I have few memories from college and… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
If you'd like to watch less television, try putting the remote away in a very inconvenient place and making yourself put it… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
It's about living in the moment and appreciating the smallest things. Surrounding yourself with the things that inspire you and letting go… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
“The very words we choose to characterize our habits can make them seem more or less appealing. "Engagement time sounds more interesting… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
It's so easy to wish that we'd made an effort in the past, so that we'd happily be enjoying the benefit now,… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
I'd always vaguely expected to outgrow my limitations. One day, I'd stop twisting my hair, and wearing running shoes all the time,… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share Image
“Second Splendid Truth One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy. One of the best ways to… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share
Knowing what you admire in others is a wonderful mirror into your deepest, as yet unborn, self. — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share
Being taken for granted is an unpleasant but sincere form of praise. Ironically, the more reliable you are and the less you complain, the… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share
“one Secret of Adulthood is “Never start a sentence with the words ‘No offense’”? “And” — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share
One of the findings that really interests me is that, although we think we ACT because of the way we FEEL, we often FEEL… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share
We all want to get along well with other people, and one way to do this is to help people feel good about themselves.… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share
During my study of happiness, I noticed something that surprised me: I often learn more from one person's highly idiosyncratic experiences than I do… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share
There is a preppy wabi-sabi to soft, faded khakis and cotton shirts, but it's not nice to be surrounded by things that are worn… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share
“There are times in the lives of most of us,” observed William Edward Hartpole Lecky, “when we would have given all the world to… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share
“I started thinking more about music. I thought I'd accepted the fact that, as part of "Being Gretchen," I didn't really like music, but… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share
If you've had something for more than six months, and it's still not repaired, it's clutter. — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share
“The pleasure of doing the same thing, in the same way, every day, shouldn't be overlooked. The things I do every day take on… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share
Although we often assume that feelings inspire actions, in fact, actions also inspire feelings. By pushing myself to act happier, I make myself feel… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share
“After someone's death, how strange to see the value drain away from his or her possessions; useful objects such as clothes, or dish towels,… — Gretchen Rubin Copy Share
