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72 Quotes to Inspire Happiness and Laughter

Updated: Nov 7, 2023



Life is full of things to distract us and keep us so busy that we often get so overloaded with life that we don’t even notice that we don’t laugh as much as we used to. Life can feel as though it has become a chore and far from enjoying it and we end up just going through the motions of dealing with work, family, chores, bills to pay and all the other things we have to deal with day in – day out without givingany thought to our happiness, before we know it we can’t even remember the last time we laughed-out-loud.


Happiness is a state of mind, no matter what we have – or – have not, no matter what our day brings us, we can all find a little happiness and laughter!

Sometimes we need a little reminder that life is supposed to be fun and we are meant to be happy, that’s why laughter gives us a boost of endorphins making us feel good inside.


Below are 72 of my favourite quotes on Happiness and Laughter to remind us all (me included) to enjoy each and every moment and to laugh-out-loud often, just because it feels good J (that’ll be those endorphins)



1. “We don't laugh because we are happy, we're happy because we laugh.” - William James

2. “She had no scars for her happiness except her laughter lines.” - Srividya Srinivasan

3. “With the fearful strain that is on me night and day, if I did not laugh I should die.” - Abraham Lincoln

4. “A sense of humour is needed armour. Joy in one’s heart and some laughter on one’s lips is a sign that the person deep down has a pretty good grasp of life.” - Hugh Sidey

5. “Happiness does not depend on your circumstances. It’s a choice that you make.” - Joel Osteen

6. “Part of the happiness of life consists not in fighting battles but in avoiding them. A masterly retreat is in itself a victory.” - Norman Vincent Peale

7. “Rule #1 of life. Do what makes you happy.” – Unknown

8. “The key to being happy is knowing you have the power to choose what to accept and what to let go.” – Dodinsky


9. “There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.” - Charles Dickens

10. “For every minute you are angry you lose sixty second of happiness.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

11. “Stop waiting for Friday, for summer, for someone to fall in love with you, for life. Happiness is achieved when you stop waiting for it and make the most of the moment you are in now.” – Unknown

12. “It’s never too late. It’s never too late to start over; it’s never too late to be happy.” – Jane Fonda

13. “Laughter is the key to youth.” - Karen Madewell

14. “Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.” - Mahatma Gandhi

15. “Happiness is a choice. You can choose to be happy. There's going to be stress in life, but it's your choice whether you let it affect you or not.” - Valerie Bertinelli

16. “Trouble knocked at your door, but, hearing laughter, hurried away.” - Benjamin Franklin


17. “Happiness is inward, and not outward; and so, it does not depend on what we have, but on what we are.” – Henry van dyke

18. “Learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want.” - Jim Rohn

19. The best part of life - Every morning you have a new opportunity to become a happier version of yourself.” – Unknown

20. “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” – Marcus Aurelius

21. “I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it.” – Groucho Marx

22. “When you discover that happiness is inside of you, the wanting and needing are over, and life gets very exciting.” - Byron Katie

23. “Remember, happiness doesn’t depend on who you are or what you have; it depends solely on what you think.” - Dale Carnegie

24. “Let your smile change the world but don’t let the world change your smile.” – Unknown


25. “Happiness starts with you. Not your relationships, not with your job, Not with your money, but with you.” – Unknown

26. “I have decided to be happy, because it’s good for my health.” – Voltaire

27. “Joy is the feeling of grinning inside.” -Melby Colgrove

28. “Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside.” - Ramana Maharshi

29. “What a wonderful thought that some of the best days of our lives haven't happened yet.” - Anne Frank

30. “The secret to happiness is letting every situation be what it is instead of what you think it should be.” – Unknown

31. “Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don't wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it's at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savoured.” - Earl Nightingale

32. “Many run about after happiness like an absent-minded man hunting for his hat, while it is in his hand or on his head.” - James Sharp



33. “There is little success where there is little laughter.” - Andrew Carnegie

34. “Laughing is, and will always be, the best form of therapy.” - Dau Voire

35. “Fill the cup of happiness for others, and there will be enough overflow to fill yours to the brim.” - Rose Pastor Stokes

36. “Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within.” - Helen Keller

37. “Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.” - Marcus Aurelius

38. "To find happiness, quit focusing on what’s wrong with you and start focusing on what’s right with you." - Joel Osteen


39. “When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘Happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the question, and I told them they didn’t understand life.” - John Lennon

40. “Laughter is an instant vacation.” - Milton Berle

41. “A good laugh overcomes more difficulties and dissipates more dark clouds than any other one thing.” - Laura Ingles Wilder

42. “Happiness is not the belief that we don't need to change; it's the realisation that we can.” - Shawn Achor

43. “To get up each morning with the resolve to be happy is to set your own conditions to the events of each day. To do this is to condition circumstances instead of being conditioned by them.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

44. “Happiness cannot be travelled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every moment with love, grace and gratitude.” - Denis Waitley

45. “Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open.” - John Barrymore

46. “Be so happy that when others look at you they become happy too.” - Unknown


47. “Laughter is a bodily exercise, precious to health.” – Aristotle


48. “Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” – Abraham Lincoln

49. “A good time to laugh is any time you can.” - Dr Madan Kataria

50. “Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.” - Victor Hugo

51. “A happy soul is the best shield for a cruel world.” – Atticus

52. “Happiness isn't about getting what you want all the time. It's about loving what you have and being grateful for it.” – Unknown

53. “Contentment is a global sense of well-being combined with no wish whatsoever for this moment to be anything other than what it is.” - Rick Hanson Ph.D

54. “The more positive thoughts you entertain, the happier you will be.” - Rhonda Byrne


55. “A happy life is just a string of happy moments. But most people don't allow the happy moment, because they are so busy chasing a happy life.” - Abraham Hicks

56. “The best way to cheer your-self up is to cheer up somebody else.” - Mark Twain

57. “Success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting what you get.” – Dale Carnegie

58. “We all smile in the same language.” - Unknown

59. “Nothing can bring you happiness but yourself.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

60. “It doesn't have to be a perfect day to be a happy day.” - Brendon Burchard

61. “Happiness is found in doing, not merely possessing.” - Napoleon Hill

62. “Happiness is not something readymade. It comes from your own actions.” - Dalai Lama


63. “In order to be utterly happy, the only thing necessary is to refrain from comparing this moment with any other moments in the past.” - Andre Gide

64. “If only we'd stop trying to be happy we'd have a pretty good time.” - Edith Wharton

65. “When you awaken love and laughter in your life, your mind lets go of fear and anxiety, and your happy spirit becomes the healing balm that transforms every aspect of your human experience.” - Jesse Dylan

66. “Life is better when you're laughing.” – Unknown

67. “Life is too important to be taken seriously.” – Oscar Wilde

68. “Nothing for me feels as good as laughing incredibly hard.” - Steve Carell

69. “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” - Thich Nhat Hanh

70. “While you are laughing you cannot be in the past or in the future.” – Osho

71. “The most wasted day is the one without laughter.” - E.E Cummings




72. “The sound of laughter has always seemed to me the most civilized music in the universe.” - Peter Ustinov

If I’ve missed your favourite Happiness or Laughter quote let me know so I can include it next time.


I hope you enjoyed these 72 Quotes to Inspire Happiness and Laughter, don't forget to Save them to your Pinterest boards for later :)



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