"When ambition ends, happiness begins."

Happiness

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Insight & Reflection

The theme of happiness is universal, yet Thomas Merton manages to capture its essence in a uniquely profound way. Taking a moment to internalize this can shift our mindset, reminding us that our perspective on happiness often shapes our reality.

About Thomas Merton

Thomas Merton, religious name M. Louis, was an American Trappist monk, theologian, mystic, poet, and social activist. He was a professed member of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, near Bardstown, Kentucky, living there from 1941 to his death.

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Editorial Note: This quote is curated and fact-checked by the Quotes Archive Editorial Team. Verified Literature Specialist.

More by Thomas Merton

"Death is someone you see very clearly with eyes in the center of your heart: eyes that see not by reacting to light, but by reacting to a kind of a chill from within the marrow of your own life."

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More about Happiness

"Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys. If he counted them up as he ought to, he would see that every lot has enough happiness provided for it."

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"A quiet mind is capable of understanding that joy is found not in possessing, but in appreciating."

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"It is better that some should be unhappy rather than that none should be happy, which would be the case in a general state of equality."

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