--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Of course it's not enough to sit around…" description: "\"“Of course it's not enough to sit around wanting to be happy; you must make the effort to take steps toward happiness by acting with more love, finding..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/gretchen-rubin-867_happiness_of-course-it-s-not-enough-to-sit-around_2570200.jpg" --- # Of course it's not enough to sit around wanting to be… ![“Of course it's not enough to sit around wanting to be happy; you must make the effort to take steps toward happiness by acting with more love, finding work you enjoy, and all the rest. But for me, asking myself whether I was happy had been a crucial step toward cultivating my happiness more wisely…” quote by Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/gretchen-rubin-867_happiness_of-course-it-s-not-enough-to-sit-around_2570200.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/gretchen-rubin-867_happiness_of-course-it-s-not-enough-to-sit-around_2570200.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/gretchen-rubin-867_happiness_of-course-it-s-not-enough-to-sit-around_2570200.jpg) > ““Of course it's not enough to sit around wanting to be happy; you must make the effort to take steps toward happiness by acting with more love, finding work you enjoy, and all the rest. But for me, asking myself whether I was happy had been a crucial step toward cultivating my happiness more wisely through my actions. Also, only through recognizing my happiness did I really appreciate it. Happiness depends partly on external circumstances, and it also depends on how you view those circumstances. -Gretchen Rubin”” [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Happiness requires active effort, self‑reflection, and recognizing both external circumstances and personal perspective. **In simple terms:** Happiness is an active, reflective practice. Key Takeaway Actively cultivate happiness daily. Themes happiness effort self‑reflection Mood optimistic reflective Type self‑help motivational When to use this quote - daily gratitude - purposeful work - relationship nurturing - mindful living Key Concepts positive psychology mindset shift Questions to Reflect On - What actions increase your happiness? - How does perspective shape your joy? A Different Perspective External factors can dominate mood. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Finding Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finding-work/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) ## Related quotes > [I love Thich Nhat Hahn. One of my favorite quotes of his (and I’m paraphrasing), he’s talking about cultivating happiness, and he was saying,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/i-love-thich-nhat-hahn-one-of-my-favorite-quotes-of-his-and-i-m/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [Recognizing happiness when it's lying at your feet, having the will and courage to reach down and take it in your arms--and to hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-levy/recognizing-happiness-when-it-s-lying-at-your-feet-having-the-will/) [Marc Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-levy/) > [“Sometimes you have to go through pain to appreciate happiness." P.157 of "Two Weddings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farin-powell/sometimes-you-have-to-go-through-pain-to-appreciate-happiness-p-157/) Farin Powell > [In the midst of happiness, one may not appreciate what happiness is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-midst-of-happiness-one-may-not-appreciate-what-happiness-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You cant really begin to appreciate life until it has knocked you down a few times. You cant really begin to appreciate love until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-gale/you-cant-really-begin-to-appreciate-life-until-it-has-knocked-you/) [Susan Gale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-gale/) > [A little misery, at times, makes one appreciate happiness more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/a-little-misery-at-times-makes-one-appreciate-happiness-more/) [L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) > [I do believe that if you haven't learnt about sadness, you cannot appreciate happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nana-mouskouri/i-do-believe-that-if-you-haven-t-learnt-about-sadness-you-cannot/) [Nana Mouskouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nana-mouskouri/) > [Half a century ago, the Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl wrote that happiness cannot be attained by wanting to be happy - it must come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/half-a-century-ago-the-austrian-psychiatrist-viktor-frankl-wrote-that/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [“All joy in this world comes from wanting others to be happy, and all suffering in this world comes from wanting only oneself to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-hanson/all-joy-in-this-world-comes-from-wanting-others-to-be-happy-and-all/) [Rick Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-hanson/) > [Happiness cannot be attained by wanting to be happy - it must come as the unintended consequence of working for a goal greater than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/happiness-cannot-be-attained-by-wanting-to-be-happy-it-must-come-as/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [Wanting you to be happy was always more important than wanting you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mee/wanting-you-to-be-happy-was-always-more-important-than-wanting-you/) [Mee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mee/) > [“All the happiness in the world stems from wanting others to be happy, and all the suffering in the world stems from wanting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timber-hawkeye/all-the-happiness-in-the-world-stems-from-wanting-others-to-be-happy-2/) [Timber Hawkeye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timber-hawkeye/) > [Being happy is not about anything going on , its about you wanting to be happy or not !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-happy-is-not-about-anything-going-on-its-about-you-wanting-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You don't come into this life wanting to be anything other than happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-moore/you-don-t-come-into-this-life-wanting-to-be-anything-other-than-happy/) [Demi Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-moore/) > [“All the happiness in the world stems from wanting others to be happy, and all the suffering in the world stems from wanting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timber-hawkeye/all-the-happiness-in-the-world-stems-from-wanting-others-to-be-happy/) [Timber Hawkeye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timber-hawkeye/) ## More by Gretchen Rubin > [“Second Splendid Truth One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy. One of the best ways to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/second-splendid-truth-one-of-the-best-ways-to-make-yourself-happy-is/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [Knowing what you admire in others is a wonderful mirror into your deepest, as yet unborn, self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/knowing-what-you-admire-in-others-is-a-wonderful-mirror-into-your/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [Being taken for granted is an unpleasant but sincere form of praise. Ironically, the more reliable you are and the less you complain, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/being-taken-for-granted-is-an-unpleasant-but-sincere-form-of-praise/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [“one Secret of Adulthood is “Never start a sentence with the words ‘No offense’”? “And”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/one-secret-of-adulthood-is-never-start-a-sentence-with-the-words-no/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [One of the findings that really interests me is that, although we think we ACT because of the way we FEEL, we often FEEL…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/one-of-the-findings-that-really-interests-me-is-that-although-we/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [We all want to get along well with other people, and one way to do this is to help people feel good about themselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/we-all-want-to-get-along-well-with-other-people-and-one-way-to-do/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/during-my-study-of-happiness-i-noticed-something-that-surprised-me-i/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/there-is-a-preppy-wabi-sabi-to-soft-faded-khakis-and-cotton-shirts/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [“There are times in the lives of most of us,” observed William Edward Hartpole Lecky, “when we would have given all the world to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/there-are-times-in-the-lives-of-most-of-us-observed-william-edward/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/i-started-thinking-more-about-music-i-thought-i-d-accepted-the-fact/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [If you've had something for more than six months, and it's still not repaired, it's clutter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/if-you-ve-had-something-for-more-than-six-months-and-it-s-still-not/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/the-pleasure-of-doing-the-same-thing-in-the-same-way-every-day/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [Although we often assume that feelings inspire actions, in fact, actions also inspire feelings. By pushing myself to act happier, I make myself feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/although-we-often-assume-that-feelings-inspire-actions-in-fact/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [I love finding - or inventing - ways to categorize people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/i-love-finding-or-inventing-ways-to-categorize-people/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [“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,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/after-someone-s-death-how-strange-to-see-the-value-drain-away-from/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) [Explore all 346 Gretchen Rubin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) ## More Happiness quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/) [MARVIN J. ASHTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [The happy have whole days,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colley-cibber/the-happy-have-whole-days/) [Colley Cibber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colley-cibber/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [I've got nothing to do today but smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-got-nothing-to-do-today-but-smile/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Positive thinking evokes more energy, more initiative, more happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/positive-thinking-evokes-more-energy-more-initiative-more-happiness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) Pancho Barnes [Browse all 40,288 Happiness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Of course it's not enough to sit around wanting to be happy; you must make the effort to take steps toward happiness by acting with more love, finding work you enjoy, and all the rest. But for me, asking myself whether I was happy had been a crucial step toward cultivating my happiness more wisely through my actions. Also, only through recognizing my happiness did I really appreciate it. Happiness depends partly on external circumstances, and it also depends on how you view those circumstances. -Gretchen Rubin”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gretchen Rubin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/of-course-it-s-not-enough-to-sit-around-wanting-to-be-happy-you-must/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Happiness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/of-course-it-s-not-enough-to-sit-around-wanting-to-be-happy-you-must/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/gretchen-rubin-867_happiness_of-course-it-s-not-enough-to-sit-around_2570200.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/gretchen-rubin-867_happiness_of-course-it-s-not-enough-to-sit-around_2570200.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/335/gretchen-rubin-867_happiness_of-course-it-s-not-enough-to-sit-around_2570200.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Of course it's not enough to sit around wanting to be happy; you must make the effort to take steps toward…” — Gretchen Rubin", "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": "Gretchen Rubin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Of course it's not enough to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/of-course-it-s-not-enough-to-sit-around-wanting-to-be-happy-you-must/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/of-course-it-s-not-enough-to-sit-around-wanting-to-be-happy-you-must/#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 } } ] } ```