Happiness is like a pebble1 dropped into a pool to set in motion an ever-widening circle of ripples2. As Stevenson has said, being happy is a duty.
There is no exact definition of the word happiness. Happy people are happy for all sorts of reasons. The key is not wealth or physical well-being3, since we find beggars, invalids4 and so-called failures, who are extremely happy.
Being happy is a sort of unexpected dividend5. But staying happy is an accomplishment6, a triumph of soul and character. It is not selfish to strive for it. It is, indeed, a duty to ourselves and others.
Being unhappy is like an infectious disease. It causes people to shrink away from the sufferer. He soon finds himself alone, miserable7 and embittered8. There is, however, a cure so simple as to seem, at first glance, ridiculous; if you don”t feel happy, pretend to be!
It works. Befo
