A Little Book of Happiness by Ruskin Bond

A Little Book of Happiness by Ruskin Bond
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very little but wonderful book. It is a delight to read the book and it gives a lot of happiness to read the book.

It is a collection of poems, quotes about happiness.

Some wonderful quotes are
1. To find happiness look halfway between too little and too much.
2. Happiness is not waiting to be found; there is no use looking for it. All we need to di to find barriers within ourselves that we have built against it. Trust - in people, in life - is a good way to begin.
3. Hold on in times of pain and strife; Until death comes, all is life.
4. To be happy you must have compassion - not only for the world, but also for yourself. And you should know that contentment is easier to attain than happiness, and that it is enough.
5. To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness - Bertrand Russell.
6. The fewer the desires, the greater your happiness.
7. All suffering there is in the world comes from desiring only myself to be happy . -Shanthideva
8. Happiness is not the opposite of sorrow. They co-exist; in that acceptance we take the first step towards inner peace.
9. Happiness always lingers with unhappiness. They are two sides of the same coin. When the whole coin drops from your hand your are neither happy nor unhappy. - Osho
10. Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened. - Dr. Seuss
11. From a Bhutanese book of wisdom. Do not chirrup too much about your happiness, and do not whine too much about your unhappiness. Which makes me think happiness shared is an act of compassion; happiness flaunted is an act of violence.
12. Why should we build our happiness on the opinions of others, when we can find it in our own hearts?
13. Sometimes there is greater joy in gazing at a mountain than in climbing it.
14. Each one of us is a mass of imperfections, and to recognize and live with our imperfections makes for an easier transit on life's journey. [ I would add if we can live other's imperfection it makes life extremely liveable]
15. Life rarely plays by the rules. Before you say "What did I do to deserve such misfortune!" think of all the times you found happiness when you have done little to deserve it.

The book is full of such wonderful pithy statements.


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