--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The key to happiness is the decision to…" description: "\"The key to happiness is the decision to be happy\" — Marianne Williamson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/marianne-williamson-90_decision_the-key-to-happiness-is-the-decision-to_2622687.png" --- # The key to happiness is the decision to be happy ![“The key to happiness is the decision to be happy” quote by Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/marianne-williamson-90_decision_the-key-to-happiness-is-the-decision-to_2622687.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/marianne-williamson-90_decision_the-key-to-happiness-is-the-decision-to_2622687.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/marianne-williamson-90_decision_the-key-to-happiness-is-the-decision-to_2622687.png) > “The key to happiness is the decision to be happy” [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing happiness is an active decision, not a circumstance. **In simple terms:** Happiness comes from deciding to be happy. Key Takeaway Decide to be happy today. Themes happiness choice mindset Mood optimistic empowering Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - daily routine - stress management - relationship building Key Concepts positive psychology self‑determination Questions to Reflect On - What decision can you make now to feel happier? - How does choosing happiness affect others? A Different Perspective Happiness can be fleeting if not sustained by actions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Key to happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/key-to-happiness/) ## Related quotes > [Usually we try to figure out what we think would make us happy, and then try to make those things happen. 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Appel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-m-appel/) > [The key to happiness is achievable dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/the-key-to-happiness-is-achievable-dreams/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“Create enterprise, live on your own terms, and you’ll find the key to happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/create-enterprise-live-on-your-own-terms-and-you-ll-find-the-key-to/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [“But sometimes the key to happiness is just expecting a little bit less. That way, you'll never be disappointed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/but-sometimes-the-key-to-happiness-is-just-expecting-a-little-bit/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Happiness is a state of mind. The key to happiness is being able to disconnect your life from your perceptions. If you saw things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/happiness-is-a-state-of-mind-the-key-to-happiness-is-being-able-to/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“The key to happiness is to listen to campy Parisian music and smile at a bird. 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Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-g-romney/) > [Sometimes the key to happiness is just expecting a little bit less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/sometimes-the-key-to-happiness-is-just-expecting-a-little-bit-less/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“...it has crossed my mind that the key to happiness should not be found in a man. That an independent, strong woman should feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/it-has-crossed-my-mind-that-the-key-to-happiness-should-not-be-found/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) ## More by Marianne Williamson > [The goal of spiritual practice is full recovery, and the only thing you need to recover from is a fractured sense of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-goal-of-spiritual-practice-is-full-recovery-and-the-only-thing/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Great people are not people who have never fallen down. Greatness has to do with how you get back up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/great-people-are-not-people-who-have-never-fallen-down-greatness-has/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [I feel that if your soul was branded by the sixties, you never lost the brand. It's like going into a nightclub and having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-feel-that-if-your-soul-was-branded-by-the-sixties-you-never-lost/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Until we have met the monsters in ourselves, we keep trying to slay them in the outer world. 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You are not too old. You are right on time-And you are better than you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/it-is-not-too-late-you-are-not-too-old-you-are-right-on-time-and-you/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [I tell my mother I went to God in spite of my religious education. I feel that my religious education was inadequate, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-tell-my-mother-i-went-to-god-in-spite-of-my-religious-education-i/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [You don't have to be a spiritual seeker, you can be a businessman dealing with the revolution in computers. You could be a congressman,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/you-don-t-have-to-be-a-spiritual-seeker-you-can-be-a-businessman/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Dear God, I surrender this thought to you, for I would see the miracle that lies behind it. Amen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/dear-god-i-surrender-this-thought-to-you-for-i-would-see-the-miracle/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Sex is not the ultimate high, but the ultimate high hangs out around sex. The ultimate high is the dance with another person, played…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/sex-is-not-the-ultimate-high-but-the-ultimate-high-hangs-out-around/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) [Explore all 1,347 Marianne Williamson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) ## More Decision quotes > [Making the right decision is hard,telling someone your decision is even harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/making-the-right-decision-is-hard-telling-someone-your-decision-is/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. 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He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [“How can you make an informed decision about whether to save the world if you never leave your tiny part of it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-david-hutchinson/how-can-you-make-an-informed-decision-about-whether-to-save-the-world/) [Shaun David Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-david-hutchinson/) > [Love is the foundation from which your decisions about your life should be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-the-foundation-from-which-your-decisions-about-your-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Indecision becomes decision with time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/indecision-becomes-decision-with-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you think of people as making decisions actively, every time we think about the cup of coffee, we say, "How much will I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/if-you-think-of-people-as-making-decisions-actively-every-time-we/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) > [It was a conscious decision on my part to take up fewer films. And if you're not seen that often on screen, nobody calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-lever/it-was-a-conscious-decision-on-my-part-to-take-up-fewer-films-and-if/) [Johnny Lever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-lever/) > [Decision is a risk rooted in the courage of being free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/decision-is-a-risk-rooted-in-the-courage-of-being-free/) [Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/) > [I never think of things rationally or intellectually. I swear, every single decision I make is just instinct and my instincts tend to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neill-blomkamp/i-never-think-of-things-rationally-or-intellectually-i-swear-every/) [Neill Blomkamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neill-blomkamp/) > [“it is either you happen to life or life happens to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sesan-kareem/it-is-either-you-happen-to-life-or-life-happens-to-you/) [Sesan Kareem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sesan-kareem/) > [How strange that something so simple could have been instrumental in my decision to ruin one of my most relationships and friendships, and damage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/how-strange-that-something-so-simple-could-have-been-instrumental-in/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [I am encouraged President Obama now says he will fulfill his constitutional obligation to seek authorization for any potential military action in Syria. 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