56 Happy quotes to lean into joyful living.

Feeling happy quotes to use in uplifting cards, posters, and more.

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Be happy quotes to share — and help the feeling spread.

Happiness is hard to define. Cute quips like, “do more of what makes you happy” still beg the question, what does make us happy? Where does a moment’s pleasure end and happiness take over?

In our pursuit of things that we think make us happy, it’s baffling how far from happiness we veer. These 56 happy quotes by history’s greats are all cues to tap into what happiness really means for us.

Imagine what your favorite be happy quotes could do in cards or letters for loved ones, on banners and collages, or in posters and flyers to spread the word. It’s all easy to make in Adobe Express — no experience required.

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Table of Contents:

Be Happy Quotes

Feeling Happy Quotes

Cute Happy Quotes

Happy Friendship Quotes

Happy Love Quotes for the Smitten

Happy Quotes for Kids

Happy Team Quotes

Be happy quotes to revive a joyful mindset.

It can sound prescriptive when someone says, “just be happy,” so quotes about choosing happiness make a point without pointing fingers. Happy thoughts quotes look at the mindset we need to be happy — because happiness doesn’t come from external sources.

Whether you want to congratulate someone and lean into the joy of the moment, or help someone adopt a little perspective, these be happy quotes are perfect for cards, letters, banners, and more.

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There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”
Henri Matisse
Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.”
Omar Khayyam
There is no path to happiness; happiness is the path.”

Buddha

This Buddha quote has also been translated as, “Happiness is a journey, not a destination.” Pick the one you like best.

If you want to be happy, be.”

Leo Tolstoy

Tolstoy wasn’t saying to “be happy” by forcing it. He was saying that being in the moment — no past regret, no future fear — is a way to be happy.

If you want to be happy, do not dwell in the past, do not worry about the future, focus on living fully in the present.”
Roy T. Bennett
Happiness is a state of mind. It's just according to the way you look at things.”

Walt Disney

Circumstances don’t have to change to make us happy. We have to change how we look at them.

Happiness depends upon ourselves.”
Aristotle
Do not set aside your happiness. Do not wait to be happy in the future. The best time to be happy is always now.”

Roy T. Bennett

Chasing after happiness like something that has to be achieved means missing the happiness in the moment.

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Feeling happy quotes to revel in the simple pleasures.

Happiness is often found in the little things. Do you remember and feel happy thinking about the last huge trip you took, or the moments that made that trip up? Happy moments quotes help savor the memories while we make them, and happy memories quotes let us relive those moments time and again.

The best way to strike happiness in others is to help them remember the moments, too. Cards, photo collages, and posters that revolve around memories revive our deepest sense of joy. Who could you share one of these quotes with?

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A happy life is one spent in learning, earning, and yearning.”

Lillian Gish

A little rhyme goes a long way to make a quote memorable. Use this line on social media to make it extra-sharable.

There's nothing like deep breaths after laughing that hard. Nothing in the world like a sore stomach for the right reasons.”

Stephen Chbosky,

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

It isn't what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.”
Dale Carnegie
Happiness is not a goal...it's a by-product of a life well lived.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

Live your life, set goals, make memories, and share with others. Happiness is the outcome.

Joy is not in things; it is in us.”

Richard Wagner

Happiness comes from our joy in the moment and the sweetness of the memory later. What a perfect quote for a banner hung at a family event.

Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”

Dr. Seuss

Happiness can come from memories of things that will never happen again, or people who are no longer present, too.

Happiness consists more in small conveniences or pleasures that occur every day, than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom to a man in the course of his life.”
Benjamin Franklin
If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”
Roald Dahl
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Cute happy quotes for instant happiness.

We smile when we’re happy, and we’re happy when we smile. Use these cute happy quotes for a quick grin, and joy will spread faster than sunbeams.

There’s science behind happiness that these quotes tap. A play on word, a clever metaphor, or the melody of a popular song can each instantly fire joy in our brains. These cute happy quotes cover the gamut, so take your pick and imagine what they could do in flyers for a party, cards for friends, or any other sharable project.

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The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”
Dolly Parton
Misery might love company, but so does joy. And joy throws much better parties.”

Billy Ivey

What better quote to use in a photo collage? Gather the best photos from time spent with friends and family to accompany it.

Don't worry. Be happy.”

Bobby McFerrin

Sing it for good measure.

I have chosen to be happy because it's good for my health.”
Voltaire
Happiness is a thing to be practiced, like the violin.”
John Lubbock
Being happy never goes out of style.”
Lily Pulitzer
Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

Abraham Lincoln

Throw a little accountability in with that dose of happiness.

Happiness? That’s nothing more than good health and a poor memory.”
Albert Schweitzer
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Happy friendship quotes for a shared journey of joy.

From watching a movie together to talking over lunch, these quotes celebrate the happiness we feel with friends. Just like those little things are sometimes our greatest source of happiness, little gestures like cards, letters, and collages make your happiness sharable with those you love most.

Choose your favorite quotes and share them today. Furry friends count, too, so don’t forget to share the love with Fido.

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Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”
Marcel Proust
The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up.”

Mark Twain

Could your happy moments sometimes come from helping friends rekindle theirs? Yes.

Happiness is a warm puppy.”

Charles M. Schulz

Happy dog quotes are as much about the intrinsic joy seen in man’s best friend as they are about the happiness their joy stirs in us.

Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.”
John Lennon
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
Dalai Lama
Whoever is happy will make others happy too.”

Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

Friendship is what happens when happiness compounds.

Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”
Marthe Troly-Curtin
We don’t laugh because we’re happy — we’re happy because we laugh.”

William James

What came first, the friendship or the shared laughs?

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Happy love quotes for the smitten.

The kind of happiness shared in a romantic relationship reaches down to our core. Happy soul quotes combine the mirth of the moment with the wonder of memories made.

Happiness is still a deeply intrinsic thing, but it reacts fiercely to the happiness of someone we love. Choose your favorite happy love quotes to use in cards, photo collages, and more. With these sweet sentiments from history’s greats, you’ll send a memorable message.

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Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower.”

John Harrigan

Wouldn’t this quote be perfect on a card tucked into a bouquet?

They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: Someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.”
Tom Bodett
You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness.”

Jonathan Safran Foer

Happiness in a relationship doesn’t mean it’s all happiness all the time.

Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination.”
Mark Twain
Others may know pleasure, but pleasure is not happiness. It has no more importance than a shadow following a man.”

Muhammad Ali

There’s pleasure in a kiss, or in the validation of someone doting on you. Pleasure is not, however, happiness. In a relationship, happiness comes from the sum of commitment, time together, and memories made.

Happiness is the secret to all beauty. There is no beauty without happiness.”

Christian Dior

When we share happiness, we see each other at our most beautiful.

Pleasure is very seldom found where it is sought. Our brightest blazes are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks.”
Samuel Johnson
Real happiness is cheap enough, yet how dearly we pay for its counterfeit.”
Hosea Ballou
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Happy quotes for kids to build happy thinking.

Kids can learn how to recognize, revel in, and sustain happiness from a young age. Choose some of these happy quotes for kids to write on a sticky note left on their desk, or a card you slip in their lunch box, or a poster you make for their room.

Choose your favorite happy quotes for kids to add encouragement to the day and help them form their perspective on happiness. Who knows? Maybe a simple quote will stick, and you’ll see how it becomes their personal mantra.

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Don’t ever be ashamed of loving the strange things that make your weird little heart happy.”

Elizabeth Gilbert

A feeling of shame can be the kryptonite to happiness.

Some days, you just have to create your own sunshine.”
Sam Sundquist
We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents.”
Bob Ross
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.”

Mother Teresa

Happiness comes from within, and so it should be impervious to jealousy, too.

For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.”

Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

A child herself, Anne Frank spoke to a simple way to rekindle happiness.

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

Mahatma Gandhi

How could this trifecta be shown on a poster?

Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”
Nathaniel Hawthorne
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Happy team quotes for shared progress and satisfaction.

Morale is a heavy thing to lift sometimes, especially at work. Happy team quotes offer catchy soundbites to help colleagues on the road to happiness, while keeping it work-friendly (and work-specific).

Work isn’t always fun, which is why we’re paid for it, but it’s not just a paycheck we take home. Happiness can be collective between coworkers when progress is shared. Mutual satisfaction nurtures happiness, and these quotes remind us how we get there.

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Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times.”

Aeschylus

Just like self-care isn’t all bubble baths, happiness isn’t just something we bask in. Sometimes, it’s the result of hard work.

It’s not about being happy all the time, or being sure of all your choices. It’s about knowing that life is precious, even when it’s tough.”
Topher Kearby
Happiness is not something readymade. It comes from your own actions.”

Dalai Lama

How would this look in a Monday Motivation email to the team?

Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.”
Dale Carnegie
Be happy with what you have while working for what you want.”

Helen Keller

Happiness doesn’t mean complacency. We can be happy with what we have now while still working toward goals.

The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”
Marcus Aurelius
Happiness is a how; not a what. A talent, not an object.”
Herman Hesse
Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.”

Frank Tyger

Use this message on a poster for the breakroom and see how it shapes people’s day.

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Tips to use happy quotes to the happiest ends.

Happiness might be innate with the right mindset, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to flip the switch.

When using happy quotes in projects, be mindful of other people’s circumstances. That way, you can choose be happy quotes that feel more personal and don’t accidentally trigger the opposite of what you want.

Think about:

Exercise: How many ways can you send happiness?

Sending happy, positive quotes with Adobe Express can be done in every imaginable way.

If you haven’t already, think about using happy quotes in:

Whether you’re organizing an event that revolves around happiness, sending custom greeting cards to loved ones, or making inspirational posters to keep happiness top-of-mind, it’s easy to do in Adobe Express — no experience required.

Adobe Express can help.

Text Adobe Express has templates and customization tools to put your favorite happy quotes to work. If you want to use happy quotes in cards, letters, posters, banners, photo collages, flyers, or other creative projects, Adobe Express makes it as simple as picking a template and personalizing it, or making your own idea with easy-to-use tools. Whatever message you want to transmit, Adobe Express brings it to life, no experience required.

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