Accepted Quote by Polly Toynbee
“Could a government dare to set out with happiness as its goal? Now that there are accepted scientific proofs, it would be easy to audit the progress of national happiness annually, just as we monitor money and GDP.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Public policy forum, 2015
The quote argues that governments should measure and aim for national happiness, treating it like economic indicators, because scientific methods now allow it.
In simple terms: Governments could track happiness like GDP.
Key Takeaway
Make happiness a policy metric.
Themes
public policy
well‑being
measurement
governance
science
Mood
thoughtful
optimistic
critical
Type
policy
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- national budgeting
- well‑being reports
- policy planning
- public health initiatives
Key Concepts
Happiness economics
public accountability
social metrics
Questions to Reflect On
- How would you design a fair happiness index?
- What trade‑offs might arise when prioritizing happiness over growth?
A Different Perspective
Happiness is hard to quantify uniformly across cultures.
![“In our opinion, there is no public good other than one that assures the citizens' private good; we judge institutions from the point of view of the concrete opportunities they give to individuals. But neither do we confuse the idea of private interest with happiness[...]. We cannot really know…” quote by Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1c8/simone-de-beauvoir-407_democracy_in-our-opinion-there-is-no-public-good-o_786424.jpg)
![“The strain of engaging emotionally with all that misery was exhausting. The kindness and hard work of the care assistants here was worth far more than they were paid. But this is unseen, unmentionable labour, hidden away in these human oubliettes we would rather not think about [...]. It is…” quote by Polly Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c45/polly-toynbee-21635_equal-pay_the-strain-of-engaging-emotionally-with_941119.jpg)
![“We have reached a situation where a theory has been accepted as fact by some, and possible contrary evidence is shunted aside. [This is] mythology rather than science.” quote by Robert Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c31/robert-shapiro-26969_accepted_we-have-reached-a-situation-where-a-theo_19120.jpg)
