If there are quarrels between the parents or if their marriage is unhappy, the ground will be prepared in their children for the severest predisposition to a disturbance of sexual development or to neurotic illness
—Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) Austrian Psychiatrist, Psychoanalytic
Fate often puts all the material for happiness and prosperity into a man’s hands just to see how miserable he can make himself with them.
—Don Marquis (1878–1937) American Humorist, Journalist, Author
All things do help the unhappy man to fall.
—John Webster (1580–1634) English Dramatist, Poet
Nothing is funnier than unhappiness, I grant you that. Yes, yes, it’s the most comical thing in the world.
—Samuel Beckett (1906–1989) Irish Novelist, Playwright
If we cannot live so as to be happy, let us at least live so as to deserve it.
—Immanuel Hermann Fichte (1796–1879) German Philosopher
Men who are unhappy, like men who sleep badly, are always proud of the fact.
—Bertrand A. Russell (1872–1970) British Philosopher, Mathematician, Social Critic
A nail is driven out by another nail; habit is overcome by habit.
—Desiderius Erasmus (c.1469–1536) Dutch Humanist, Scholar
Let no one who loves be called unhappy. Even love unreturned has its rainbow.
—J. M. Barrie (1860–1937) Scottish Novelist, Dramatist
The more refined one is, the more unhappy.
—Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) Russian Short-Story Writer
No man can be happy without a friend, nor be sure of his friend till he is unhappy.
—Thomas Fuller (1608–61) English Cleric, Historian
It seems to me a barren thing this conservatism – an unhappy cross breed, the mule of politics that engenders nothing
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) American Political Leader, Inventor, Diplomat
We degrade life by our follies and vices, and then complain that the unhappiness which is only their accompaniment is inherent in the constitution of things.
—Christian Nestell Bovee (1820–1904) American Writer, Aphorist
What has changed is that nothing has changed… . That’s what has made me more unhappy than everything else.
—Willie Nelson (b.1933) American Country Singer, Songwriter
It’s better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone – so far.
—Marilyn Monroe (1926–62) American Actor, Model, Singer
The secret of being miserable is to have the leisure to bother about whether you are happy or not. The cure is occupaton.
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) Irish Playwright
Let no one till his death
Be called unhappy. Measure not the work
Until the day’s out and the labor done:
Then bring your gauges.
—Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–61) English Poet
The most unhappy of all men is he who believes himself to be so.
—David Hume (1711–76) Scottish Philosopher, Historian
The inner speech, your thoughts, can cause you to be rich or poor, loved or unloved, happy or unhappy, attractive or unattractive, powerful or weak.
—Ralph Charell
All mankind’s unhappiness derives from one thing: his inability to know how to remain in repose in one room.
—Blaise Pascal (1623–62) French Mathematician, Physicist, Theologian
A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world.
—Paul Dudley White (1886–1973) American Cardiologist
No man is more unhappy than the one who is never in adversity; the greatest affliction of life is never to be afflicted.
—Unknown
To excite opposition and inflame malevolence is the unhappy privilege of courage made arrogant by consciousness of strength
—Samuel Johnson (1709–84) British Essayist
Unhappy the land that is in need of heroes.
—Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956) German Poet, Playwright, Theater Personality
All of our unhappiness comes from our inability to be alone.
—Jean de La Bruyere (1645–96) French Satiric Moralist, Author
There is only one cause of unhappiness: the false beliefs you have in your head, beliefs so widespread, so commonly held, that it never occurs to you to question them.
—Anthony de Mello (1931–87) Indian-born American Theologian
Women get more unhappy the more they try to liberate themselves.
—Brigitte Bardot (b.1934) French Film Star
We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen. Every day, G-d gives us the sun-and also one moment in which we have the ability to change everything that makes us unhappy. Every day, we try to pretend that.
—Paulo Coelho (b.1947) Brazilian Songwriter, Novelist
All happiness or unhappiness solely depends upon the quality of the object to which we are attached by love.
—Baruch Spinoza (1632–77) Dutch Philosopher, Theologian
I fear animals regard man as a creature of their own kind which has in a highly dangerous fashion lost its healthy animal reason—as the mad animal, as the laughing animal, as the weeping animal, as the unhappy animal.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German Philosopher, Scholar, Writer
The primary cause of unhappiness in the world today is… lack of faith.
—Carl Gustav Jung (1875–1961) Swiss Psychologist, Psychiatrist, Philosopher