22 Inspiring Gretchen Rubin Quotes for Finding Happiness

“It’s important to help people notice patterns in themselves. Sometimes we don't notice what our strengths are or even what we're interested in. It helps when other people point them out.”

“One thing I teach people about is the one minute rule. The one minute rule is anything you can do in less than a minute, you go ahead and do it without delay. You don't let yourself off the hook.”

“Look for happiness under your own roof.”

“The more you know an individual, the more you understand human nature and the more you understand yourself.”

“Some people assume that happiness makes people complacent. Quite the contrary. Happy people are more concerned with the problems of other people and more likely to take action to help. So by making myself happy, I arm myself to be more effective in addressing the world’s significant problems.”

“I can DO ANYTHING I want, but I can't DO EVERYTHING I want.”

“The biggest waste of time is to do something well that we need not do at all.”

“When I thought about why I was sometimes reluctant to push myself, I realized that it was because I was afraid of failure — but in order to have more success, I needed to be willing to accept more failure.”

“When I find myself focusing too [sic] much on the anticipated future happiness of arriving at a certain goal, I remind myself to ‘enjoy now.’ If I can enjoy the present, I don't need to count on the happiness that is (or isn't) waiting for me in the future.”

“Never start a sentence with the words 'No offense.”

“Studies show that aggressively expressing anger doesn't relieve anger but amplifies it. On the other hand, not expressing anger often allows it to disappear without leaving ugly traces.”

“It's about living in the moment and appreciating the smallest things. Surrounding yourself with the things that inspire you and letting go of the obsessions that want to take over your mind. It is a daily struggle sometimes and hard work but happiness begins with your own attitude and how you look at the world.”

“Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I fail, but every day is a clean slate and a fresh opportunity”

“What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while.”

“One thing that surprised me was that as soon as I started to think about how to be happier, I realized how happy I was already. My appreciation for my life increased dramatically, once I examined it.”

“I had everything I could possibly want—yet I was failing to appreciate it. Too often, I failed to comprehend the splendor of what I had. I didn’t want to keep taking my life for granted.”

“I realized that the biggest obstacle to my happiness was…me. My failings, my limitations. It was time to expect more from myself. I wanted to feel more gratitude and stop complaining. I wanted to behave better.”

“The important question is: what steps can we take to be happier? Instead of asking ‘How can I achieve happiness?’ ask yourself, “‘How can I be happier?’”

“But it turns out that happier people are more likely to help other people, they’re more interested in social problems, they do more volunteer work, and they contribute more to charity. They’re less preoccupied with their personal problems. They’re friendlier. They make better leaders.”

“When I’m feeling happy, I find it easier to notice other people’s problems, I feel that I have more energy to try to take action, I have the emotional wherewithal to tackle sad or difficult issues, and I’m not as preoccupied with myself. I feel more generous and forgiving.”

“One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy. One of the best ways to make other people happy is to be happy yourself.”

“One thing I realized about my happiness project is that I have to work on myself. I’m the only person whose actions and thoughts I can directly affect. It’s not useful to mull over my criticisms of the people around me.”