Quotes from Tal Ben-Shahar

If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown! But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile.

We no longer accumulate to live; we live to accumulate.

It's abilities, not the disabilities, that count. —Peter Drucker

Aquello en lo que nos concentramos se expande, y cuando nos concentramos en las bondades de la vida, creamos más bondad. Las nuevas oportunidades, mis relaciones con los demás, hasta el dinero empezaron a aparecer con más frecuencia en mi camino cuando aprendí a ser agradecida en toda circunstancia de mi vida.» –OPRAH WINFREY

It is doubtful whether any heavier curse could be imposed on man than the complete gratification of all his wishes without effort on his part, leaving nothing for his hopes, desires or struggles."6

Para vivir una vida plena y gratificante —una vida feliz—, tenemos que permitirnos experimentar toda la gama de emociones humanas. En otras palabras, tenemos que concedernos el permiso para ser humanos.

the best moments usually occur when a person's body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile

In Aristotle's words, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

Ralph Waldo Emerson explains, "It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.

Life is too short to be in a hurry." If we are always on the go, we are reacting to the exigencies of day-to-day life rather than allowing ourselves the space to create a happy life.

Our behavior toward others is often a reflection of our treatment of ourselves.

Incremental change is better than ambitious failure. . . .Success feeds on itself.

Leonardo da Vinci pointed out that "simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate.

One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And, the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility. —Eleanor Roosevelt

Don't ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. —

Choice is creation. To choose is to create. Through my choices I create my reality. At every moment in my life I have a choice. Moments add up to a lifetime; choices add up to a life. What kind of life do I want for myself? What choices will create this kind of life?

Things do not necessarily happen for the best, but I can choose to make the best of things that happen.

Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence. —Aristotle

The choice is a simple one: Learn to fail, or fail to learn.

Happy people live secure in the knowledge that the activities that bring them enjoyment in the present will also lead to a fulfilling future.

The all-or-nothing mind-set leads Perfectionists to transform every setback they encounter into a catastrophe, an assault on their very worth as human beings. Their sense of self inevitably suffers as their faultfinding turns inward.

those who kept a daily gratitude journal—writing down at least five things for which they were grateful—enjoyed higher levels of emotional and physical well-being.

happiness, not money or prestige, should be regarded as the ultimate currency—the currency by which we take measure of our lives.