--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: External circumstances can contribute to…" description: "\"External circumstances can contribute to one's happiness and well-being, but ultimately happiness and suffering depend on the mind.\" — Dalai Lama" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/dalai-lama-89_circumstances_external-circumstances-can-contribute-to_1402260.jpg" --- # External circumstances can contribute to one's happiness… ![“External circumstances can contribute to one's happiness and well-being, but ultimately happiness and suffering depend on the mind.” quote by Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/dalai-lama-89_circumstances_external-circumstances-can-contribute-to_1402260.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/dalai-lama-89_circumstances_external-circumstances-can-contribute-to_1402260.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/dalai-lama-89_circumstances_external-circumstances-can-contribute-to_1402260.jpg) > “External circumstances can contribute to one's happiness and well-being, but ultimately happiness and suffering depend on the mind.” [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. External factors influence happiness, but the mind ultimately determines suffering and joy. **In simple terms:** Mindset shapes happiness more than circumstances. Key Takeaway Cultivate a balanced, mindful mind. Themes happiness mind well‑being external factors Mood calm hopeful Type spiritual motivational When to use this quote - stress management - mental health - personal growth Key Concepts Buddhist philosophy psychology mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How can you train your mind to stay content? - What practices help detach from external outcomes? A Different Perspective External conditions alone cannot guarantee happiness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Well being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/well-being/) ## Related quotes > [Your happiness and suffering depend on your actions and not on my wishes for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/your-happiness-and-suffering-depend-on-your-actions-and-not-on-my/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > [Happiness and suffering do not depend on being poor or rich, they depend on having the right or wrong understanding in our mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/happiness-and-suffering-do-not-depend-on-being-poor-or-rich-they/) [Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/) > [You know that your happiness and suffering depend on the happiness and suffering of others. That insight helps you not to do wrong things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/you-know-that-your-happiness-and-suffering-depend-on-the-happiness/) [Thich Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/) > [Journeys, like artists, are born and not made. A thousand differing circumstances contribute to them, few of them willed or determined by the will-whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/journeys-like-artists-are-born-and-not-made-a-thousand-differing/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [We are the creators of our own happiness and suffering, for everything originates in the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/we-are-the-creators-of-our-own-happiness-and-suffering-for-everything/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [“Our job is to make others feel better and to find happiness. It will ultimately make you happy and abundant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/our-job-is-to-make-others-feel-better-and-to-find-happiness-it-will/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [I've been very lucky to have achieved a lot of the things that I dreamt of achieving as a young man. But, at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/i-ve-been-very-lucky-to-have-achieved-a-lot-of-the-things-that-i/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [Happy Endings are an illusion. Real life is filled with brief moments of fleeting happiness, but ultimately every life is a tragedy that ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-gaspirtz/happy-endings-are-an-illusion-real-life-is-filled-with-brief-moments/) [Oliver Gaspirtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-gaspirtz/) > [“What you do for your own happiness should ultimately make everyone happy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lalithambika-antharjanam/what-you-do-for-your-own-happiness-should-ultimately-make-everyone/) Lalithambika Antharjanam > [“The motions of Grace, the hardness of heart; external circumstances.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/the-motions-of-grace-the-hardness-of-heart-external-circumstances/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [“Gross circumstances, subtle circumstances, and circumstances of the speech are of the non-Self (not mine); and dependent on an external power. External circumstances are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/gross-circumstances-subtle-circumstances-and-circumstances-of-the/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [“You can always choose how you prefer to respond to any external circumstances. Do not define your happiness by what is happening around you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-zernoff/you-can-always-choose-how-you-prefer-to-respond-to-any-external/) [Raphael Zernoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-zernoff/) > [We cannot choose our external circumstances, but we can always choose how we respond to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/we-cannot-choose-our-external-circumstances-but-we-can-always-choose/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [External circumstances will not change until internal belief systems change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myles-munroe/external-circumstances-will-not-change-until-internal-belief-systems/) [Myles Munroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myles-munroe/) > [“True peace is not found in external circumstances, but within ones own heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-aitchison/true-peace-is-not-found-in-external-circumstances-but-within-ones-own/) Graham Aitchison ## More by Dalai Lama > [Although under particular circumstances, the violence method - any method - can be justified, nevertheless once you commit violence, then counterviolence will be returned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/although-under-particular-circumstances-the-violence-method-any/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [In the interests of everyone the artist had a responsibility to use his medium well. In the Tibetan culture, most of the paintings are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/in-the-interests-of-everyone-the-artist-had-a-responsibility-to-use/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [If the mind is dominated by hatred, the best part of the brain, which is used to judge right and wrong, does not function…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/if-the-mind-is-dominated-by-hatred-the-best-part-of-the-brain-which/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [More compassionate mind, more sense of concern for other's well-being, is source of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/more-compassionate-mind-more-sense-of-concern-for-other-s-well-being/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Everybody loves to talk about calmness and peace, whether in a family, national, or international context, but without inner peace how can we make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/everybody-loves-to-talk-about-calmness-and-peace-whether-in-a-family/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [The only "definitive truth" for Buddhism is the absolute negation of any one truth as the Definitive Truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/the-only-definitive-truth-for-buddhism-is-the-absolute-negation-of/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [We can change society, change humanity by changing ourselves as individuals. 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So through that way, more concern of well being of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/we-live-within-the-environment-so-that-directly-relates-with-our/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [My belief is that the various religious traditions have great potential to increase compassion, the sense of caring for one another, and the spirit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/my-belief-is-that-the-various-religious-traditions-have-great/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [When we think carefully, we see that the brief elation we experience when appeasing sensual impulses may not be very different from what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/when-we-think-carefully-we-see-that-the-brief-elation-we-experience/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [“So let us reflect on what is truly of value in life, what gives meaning to our lives, and set our priorities on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/so-let-us-reflect-on-what-is-truly-of-value-in-life-what-gives/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [I am the source of my own suffering, because of the habits of my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/i-am-the-source-of-my-own-suffering-because-of-the-habits-of-my-mind/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) [Explore all 1,406 Dalai Lama quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) ## More Circumstances quotes > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. Thinking, negative thinking causes stress. 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She and her colleagues take care of children left behind by circumstances beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/my-sister-in-law-works-for-a-group-that-supports-orphanages-in-cairo/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [It's impossible to know who Donald might have been under different circumstances and with different parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-l-trump/it-s-impossible-to-know-who-donald-might-have-been-under-different/) [Mary L. Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-l-trump/) > [When we watch a play under the standard circumstances, we've lost volition and time is passing. A still play feels like an existential threat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-greenberg/when-we-watch-a-play-under-the-standard-circumstances-we-ve-lost/) [Richard Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-greenberg/) > [Being positive helps you to keep away negative thoughts. And helps you to stand in adverse circumstances with the hope that in the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/being-positive-helps-you-to-keep-away-negative-thoughts-and-helps-you/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [It seemed to me that the human beings I met reacted pretty much the same to the same stimuli. Different idioms,yes. Circumstances and conditions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/it-seemed-to-me-that-the-human-beings-i-met-reacted-pretty-much-the/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [I don't think you would have missed that putt, but in these circumstances, I would never give you the opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicklaus/i-don-t-think-you-would-have-missed-that-putt-but-in-these/) [Jack Nicklaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicklaus/) > [I used to think I could shape the circumstances around me, but now I know Jesus uses circumstances to shape me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-goff/i-used-to-think-i-could-shape-the-circumstances-around-me-but-now-i/) [Bob Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-goff/) > [Instead of complaining about your circumstances, get busy creating new ones. You either suffer the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-complaining-about-your-circumstances-get-busy-creating-new/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 4,560 Circumstances quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "External circumstances can contribute to one's happiness and well-being, but ultimately happiness and suffering depend on the mind.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dalai Lama" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/external-circumstances-can-contribute-to-one-s-happiness-and-well/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Circumstances" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/external-circumstances-can-contribute-to-one-s-happiness-and-well/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/dalai-lama-89_circumstances_external-circumstances-can-contribute-to_1402260.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/dalai-lama-89_circumstances_external-circumstances-can-contribute-to_1402260.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/dalai-lama-89_circumstances_external-circumstances-can-contribute-to_1402260.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“External circumstances can contribute to one's happiness and well-being, but ultimately happiness and…” — Dalai Lama", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Dalai Lama", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "External circumstances can contribute to one's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/external-circumstances-can-contribute-to-one-s-happiness-and-well/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/external-circumstances-can-contribute-to-one-s-happiness-and-well/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```