--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Refuse to be unhappy. \"I see so many…" description: "\"“Refuse to be unhappy. \"I see so many unhappy people, and I just don't get it,\" Virginie says with a weary smily. \"It's like some people just want to b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/482/will-bowen-30218_life_refuse-to-be-unhappy-i-see-so-many-unhap_2070433.jpg" --- # Refuse to be unhappy. "I see so many unhappy people, and I… ![“Refuse to be unhappy. "I see so many unhappy people, and I just don't get it," Virginie says with a weary smily. "It's like some people just want to be unhappy. Life is filled with phases, and it's how you adapt that makes you either happy or unhappy.” quote by Will Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/482/will-bowen-30218_life_refuse-to-be-unhappy-i-see-so-many-unhap_2070433.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/482/will-bowen-30218_life_refuse-to-be-unhappy-i-see-so-many-unhap_2070433.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/482/will-bowen-30218_life_refuse-to-be-unhappy-i-see-so-many-unhap_2070433.jpg) > ““Refuse to be unhappy. "I see so many unhappy people, and I just don't get it," Virginie says with a weary smily. "It's like some people just want to be unhappy. Life is filled with phases, and it's how you adapt that makes you either happy or unhappy.”” [Will Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-bowen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unhappiness often stems from an inability to adapt to life's changing phases; choosing a positive mindset leads to happiness. **In simple terms:** Adaptation determines happiness. Key Takeaway Cultivate flexibility to stay happy. Themes psychology well‑being mindset Mood reflective hopeful Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - personal development - coaching - therapy - self‑help Key Concepts resilience emotional intelligence life phases Questions to Reflect On - What habits help you adapt to change? - How can you support others in finding happiness? A Different Perspective Changing mindset can be difficult without support or resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Refuse Unhappy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refuse-unhappy-3994147/) [Unhappy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unhappy/) [Unhappy life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unhappy-life/) [Unhappy people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unhappy-people/) [Unhappy Unhappy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unhappy-unhappy-500544/) [Want Unhappy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-unhappy-659733/) ## Related quotes > [I refuse to be around unhappy people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-refuse-to-be-around-unhappy-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't think most people want to be unhappy. It's just something they've gotten good at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/i-don-t-think-most-people-want-to-be-unhappy-it-s-just-something-they/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [“Unhappiest is the person who feels happy when seeing an unhappy person!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/unhappiest-is-the-person-who-feels-happy-when-seeing-an-unhappy-person/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Being unhappy and miserable is your choice. The mentality is destructive, and consenting to staying stuck in that state of mind is a blueprint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/being-unhappy-and-miserable-is-your-choice-the-mentality-is/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/i-have-just-one-day-today-and-i-m-going-to-be-happy-in-it/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [It's better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone - so far.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/it-s-better-to-be-unhappy-alone-than-unhappy-with-someone-so-far/) [Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/) > [It's better to be unhappy alone than than unhappy with someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/princess-peaches-2/it-s-better-to-be-unhappy-alone-than-than-unhappy-with-someone/) [PrInCeSs PeAcHeS](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/princess-peaches-2/) > [Better to be alone and happy than being with someone and be unhappy all your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucky-dube/better-to-be-alone-and-happy-than-being-with-someone-and-be-unhappy/) [Lucky Dube](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucky-dube/) > [If you have done something meritorious, you experience pleasure and happiness; if wrong things, suffering. A happy or unhappy life is your own creation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-have-done-something-meritorious-you-experience-pleasure-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you are not happy with the way your life is right now, you may wanna get rid of what it is that's making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rayshawn-lee/if-you-are-not-happy-with-the-way-your-life-is-right-now-you-may/) [Rayshawn Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rayshawn-lee/) > [Why are those who are notoriously undisciplined and unmoral also most contemptuous of religion and morality? They are trying to solace their own unhappy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/why-are-those-who-are-notoriously-undisciplined-and-unmoral-also-most/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [The short, unhappy life of a corn-fed feedlot steer represents the ultimate triumph of industrial thinking over the logic of evolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/the-short-unhappy-life-of-a-corn-fed-feedlot-steer-represents-the/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [If you're unhappy, what is it in your life that you're not facing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/if-you-re-unhappy-what-is-it-in-your-life-that-you-re-not-facing/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not-3/) [Christopher McCandless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mccandless/) > [You're unhappy with your life because you give up when things don't happen fast enough for you. The bigger the goal the longer it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/you-re-unhappy-with-your-life-because-you-give-up-when-things-don-t/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) ## More by Will Bowen > [“People are so caught up in their age," she says. "You decide how old you are, not the calendar.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-bowen/people-are-so-caught-up-in-their-age-she-says-you-decide-how-old-you/) [Will Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-bowen/) > [“Focus on your sacred purpose and you will enjoy, and quite probably increase, the rewards you receive. Focus on the rewards alone and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-bowen/focus-on-your-sacred-purpose-and-you-will-enjoy-and-quite-probably/) [Will Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-bowen/) > [“People in Africa have a well-deserved reputation for being happy. This may explain why: there is no word in Swahili for "sarcasm" therefore Africans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-bowen/people-in-africa-have-a-well-deserved-reputation-for-being-happy-this/) [Will Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-bowen/) > [“and negative people I know. For myself, I opted several years ago not to watch, read, or listen to what others call “the news.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-bowen/and-negative-people-i-know-for-myself-i-opted-several-years-ago-not/) [Will Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-bowen/) > [“A belief is an absolute but arbitrary mental stance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-bowen/a-belief-is-an-absolute-but-arbitrary-mental-stance/) [Will Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-bowen/) > [“Hurt people hurt people. We are not being judgmental by separating ourselves from such people. But we should do so with compassion. Compassion is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-bowen/hurt-people-hurt-people-we-are-not-being-judgmental-by-separating/) [Will Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-bowen/) > [“Here Comes the Sun” – I like the version by Richie Havens “Be the Change” – MC Yogi “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-bowen/here-comes-the-sun-i-like-the-version-by-richie-havens-be-the-change/) [Will Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-bowen/) > [“Invitations not obligations: Our expectations of other people can be a big drain on our emotions. When we ask someone to do something, or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-bowen/invitations-not-obligations-our-expectations-of-other-people-can-be-a/) [Will Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-bowen/) > [“To cultivate your own happiness, remember the words of venerated Rabbi Yeruchom Levovitz: “A truly happy person does not allow his happiness to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-bowen/to-cultivate-your-own-happiness-remember-the-words-of-venerated-rabbi/) [Will Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-bowen/) > [“Misery not only loves company, it derives validation from it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-bowen/misery-not-only-loves-company-it-derives-validation-from-it/) [Will Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-bowen/) > [“Accept where you are in life—it's OK. Virginie was recently denied the renewal of her driver's license for the first time; so, she sold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-bowen/accept-where-you-are-in-life-it-s-ok-virginie-was-recently-denied-the/) [Will Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-bowen/) > [“Happiness lies in the consciousness we have of it, and by no means in the way the future keeps its promises. —George Sand”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-bowen/happiness-lies-in-the-consciousness-we-have-of-it-and-by-no-means-in/) [Will Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-bowen/) > [“Happy people are not people without problems; they are people who face their problems and at some point make a decision to move past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-bowen/happy-people-are-not-people-without-problems-they-are-people-who-face/) [Will Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-bowen/) > [“Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it. —Buddha”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-bowen/your-purpose-in-life-is-to-find-your-purpose-and-give-your-whole-3/) [Will Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-bowen/) > [“Happiness and self-esteem are proportional. The better you feel about yourself, the happier you are. “I get up every morning, and I get excited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-bowen/happiness-and-self-esteem-are-proportional-the-better-you-feel-about/) [Will Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-bowen/) [Explore all 17 Will Bowen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-bowen/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pancho-barnes/) [Browse all 40,288 Happiness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Refuse to be unhappy. \"I see so many unhappy people, and I just don't get it,\" Virginie says with a weary smily. \"It's like some people just want to be unhappy. Life is filled with phases, and it's how you adapt that makes you either happy or unhappy.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Will Bowen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-bowen/refuse-to-be-unhappy-i-see-so-many-unhappy-people-and-i-just-don-t/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Happiness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-bowen/refuse-to-be-unhappy-i-see-so-many-unhappy-people-and-i-just-don-t/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/482/will-bowen-30218_life_refuse-to-be-unhappy-i-see-so-many-unhap_2070433.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/482/will-bowen-30218_life_refuse-to-be-unhappy-i-see-so-many-unhap_2070433.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/482/will-bowen-30218_life_refuse-to-be-unhappy-i-see-so-many-unhap_2070433.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Refuse to be unhappy. \"I see so many unhappy people, and I just don't get it,\" Virginie says with a weary…” — Will Bowen", "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": "Will Bowen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-bowen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Refuse to be unhappy. \"I see...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-bowen/refuse-to-be-unhappy-i-see-so-many-unhappy-people-and-i-just-don-t/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-bowen/refuse-to-be-unhappy-i-see-so-many-unhappy-people-and-i-just-don-t/#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 } } ] } ```