Despite that, she always saw her childhood as a happy one, because her parents loved her and loved each other,

my work as a social scientist isn’t research—it’s me-search.

I wanted more. So I changed careers. At the age of fifty-five, I quit my chief executive job, with a plan to write, speak, and teach about the science of happiness. I started by creating a simple personal mission statement for myself.

happier is not a state of being, but a state of doing—not a thing you wait around and hope for, but an achievable change you actively work toward.

“It’s not my fault, and I won’t take this personally.”

the best life is to accept your unhappiness (so you can learn and grow) and manage the feelings that result.

“I do not know what this day will bring, but I will accept it.”

When someone says, “You are wrong,” respond with “Tell me more.”

Write down different ways you might react constructively, based on different possible responses from the other person.