Schopenhauer quote
Arthur Schopenhauer argued that true happiness does not lie in outward success but in genuine inner cheerfulness. When we see someone wealthy or attractive, we wonder if they’re truly happy — yet when we meet a genuinely cheerful person, we no longer care whether they’re rich or poor, young or old.
Cheerfulness, he says, is like an unexpected visitor — it shows up when it pleases, and we must welcome it wholeheartedly, without hesitation or doubt. The only way to be happy is to open the door wide when cheerfulness knocks, remembering that the present moment is the only piece of time we truly own.
Constantly analyzing whether we have a “good enough reason” to feel joy only sabotages joy itself, burdening it with worries and overthinking that yield no certain benefit. Cheerfulness, on the other hand, is an immediate gain: it brightens the now and enriches our experience of life.
The famously “grumpy” philosopher also reminds us that material comforts do little to boost our mood compared to good health, which he considers the bedrock of lasting cheerfulness. Physical well-being allows us to savor joy’s fruit — so it should come before any other pursuit. Taking conscious care of the body through rest, moderation, and exercise creates the fertile ground where happiness can truly take root.
Strikingly relevant today is Schopenhauer’s practical advice: move your body for at least two hours a day in the fresh air. A calm mind, he insists, needs open skies, deep breaths, and the feeling of muscles working and relaxing. In this way, happiness is revealed as a steady practice of caring for the body and fully inhabiting each moment — proving that we thrive when we embrace the simplicity of the present.
All that’s left now is to put it into practice!
(Read the literary excerpt below)
Schopenhauer, “The Art of Being Happy”
When we judge the happiness of someone rich, young, beautiful, or honored, what we really want to know is whether they are truly cheerful.
On the other hand, if someone is genuinely cheerful, we no longer care whether they are young or old, rich or poor — we know they are happy.
That’s why, whenever cheerfulness comes to visit, we should fling the door wide open. There is never an inappropriate time for its arrival.
Yet instead of doing exactly that, we question whether we have any real reason to feel joyful, fearing that cheerfulness might distract us from our “serious thoughts and worries.”
But what benefit do those worries bring us? Even we ourselves don’t know — while cheerfulness is the surest gain.
Its benefit lies directly in the present moment — the highest good for our existence, which, at its core, is nothing but an undivided present between two infinities.
Therefore, pursuing it must be an absolute priority.
It is certain too that nothing contributes less to a cheerful mood than external wealth — and nothing contributes more than good health.
So health should come before any other blessing, and we should consciously strive to maintain it at its highest level, so that we can enjoy its reward: cheerfulness.
We should also avoid excessive and prolonged mental strain, and make sure to move for at least two hours every day in the fresh air.
