O Lord! Unhappy is the man whom man can make unhappy.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
A nail is driven out by another nail; habit is overcome by habit.
—Desiderius Erasmus (c.1469–1536) Dutch Humanist, Scholar
Medvienko: Why do you always wear black? Masha: I am in mourning for my life. I am unhappy.
—Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) Russian Short-Story Writer
The attitude of unhappiness is not only painful, it is mean and ugly. What can be more base and unworthy than the pining, puling, mumping mood, no matter by what outward ills it may have been engendered? What is more injurious to others? What less helpful as a way out of the difficulty? It but fastens and perpetuates the trouble which occasioned it, and increases the total evil of the situation. At all costs, then, we ought to reduce the sway of that mood; we ought to scout it in ourselves and others, and never show it tolerance.
—William James (1842–1910) American Philosopher, Psychologist, Physician
How bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man’s eyes!
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
Irresolution on the schemes of life which offer themselves to our choice, and inconstancy in pursuing them, are the greatest causes of all our unhappiness.
—Joseph Addison (1672–1719) English Essayist, Poet, Playwright, Politician
The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.
—M. Scott Peck (1936–2005) American Psychiatrist, Author
No-one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.
—Groucho Marx (1890–1977) American Actor, Comedian, Singer
If you deliberately plan on being less than you are capable of being, then I warn you that you’ll be unhappy for the rest of your life.
—Abraham Maslow (1908–70) American Psychologist, Academic, Humanist
I think writing about unhappiness is probably the source of my popularity, if I have any-after all, most people are unhappy, don’t you think?
—Philip Larkin (1922–85) English Poet, Librarian, Novelist
Do not give in too much to feelings. A overly sensitive heart is an unhappy possession on this shaky earth.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German Poet
The most unhappy of all men is he who believes himself to be so.
—David Hume (1711–76) Scottish Philosopher, Historian
Since the things we do determine the character of life, no blessed person can become unhappy. For he will never do those things which are hateful and petty.
—Aristotle (384BCE–322BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Scholar
Hell is of this world and there are men who are unhappy escapees from hell, escapees destined ETERNALLY to reenact their escape.
—Antonin Artaud (1896–1948) French Actor, Drama Theorist
Perfect happiness, I believe, was never intended by the Deity to be the lot of one of his creatures in this world ; but that he has very much put in our power the nearness of our approaches to it, is what I have steadfastly believed.
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) American Head of State, Lawyer
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
The unhappy derive comfort from the misfortunes of others.
—Aesop (620–564 BCE) Greek Fabulist
Man’s unhappiness, as I construe, comes of his greatness; it is because there is an Infinite in him, which with all his cunning he cannot quite bury under the Finite.
—Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) Scottish Historian, Essayist
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
Most successes are unhappy. That’s why they are successes – they have to reassure themselves about themselves by achieving something that the world will notice.
—Agatha Christie (1890–1976) British Novelist, Short-Story Writer, Playwright
You never saw a very busy person who was unhappy.
—Dorothy Dix (1861–1951) American Journalist, Columnist
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
It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German Philosopher, Scholar, Writer
Is anyone in all the world safe from unhappiness?
—Sophocles (495–405 BCE) Ancient Greek Dramatist
The poor, the unsuccessful, the unhappy, the unhealthy are the ones who use the word tomorrow the most.
—Robert Kiyosaki (b.1947) American Businessperson, Author, Motivational Speaker
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
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
Oh, the good times when we were so unhappy.
—Alexandre Dumas pere (1802–1870) French Novelist, Playwright
To worry about tomorrow is to be unhappy today.
—Chinese Proverb
The primary cause of unhappiness in the world today is… lack of faith.
—Carl Gustav Jung (1875–1961) Swiss Psychologist, Psychiatrist, Philosopher