To do anything in this world worth doing, we must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in, and scramble through as well as we can.
Sydney SmithRead
A comfortable house is a great source of happiness. It ranks immediately after health and a good conscience.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A cozy and secure home contributes significantly to one's overall happiness, following only health and moral integrity.
This quote emphasizes the importance of having a comfortable living space as a fundamental contributor to happiness. Sydney Smith suggests that while health and a clear conscience are paramount, the environment in which we reside also plays a crucial role in our emotional well-being and quality of life.
Themes
HappinessHomeComfortWell-BeingSecurity
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of mental health, one could quote this to emphasize the need for a stable living environment.
More from Sydney Smith
All quotes →Do not try to push your way through to the front ranks of your profession; do not run after distinctions and rewards; but do your utmost to find an entry into the world of beauty.
Sydney SmithRead
Errors, to be dangerous, must have a great deal of truth mingled with them. It is only from this alliance that they can ever obtain an extensive circulation.
Sydney SmithRead
we know nothing of tomorrow, our business is to be good and happy today
Sydney SmithRead
Find fault when you must find fault in private, and if possible sometime after the offense, rather than at the time.
Sydney SmithRead
Find fault, when you must find fault, in private, if possible; and some time after the offense, rather than at the time.
Sydney SmithRead
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Personal happiness lies in knowing that life is not a checklist of acquisition. Your qualifications are not your life.
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It is the pursuit of happiness that thwarts happiness.
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I have perceiv’d that to be with those I like is enough, To stop in company with the rest at evening is enough, To be surrounded by beautiful, curious, breathing, laughing flesh is enough, To pass among them, or touch any one, or rest my arm ever so lightly round his or her neck for a moment—what is this, then? I do not ask any more delight—I swim in it, as in a sea.
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The things that brought me the most comfort now were too small to list. Raspberries in cream. Sparrows with cocked heads. Shadows of bare limbs making for sidewalk filigrees. Roses past their prime with their petals loose about them. The shouts of children at play in the neighborhood, Ginger Rogers on the black-and-white screen.
Elizabeth BergRead
You traverse the world in search of happiness which is within the reach of every man. A contented mind confers it on all.
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