The Pursuit of Happiness

The Pursuit of Happiness is a book of studies and strowings by Daniel G. Brinton. A chapter headed Principles of a Self-Education for the Promotion of One's Own Happiness says that any permanent and even moderate stock of happiness does not fall into the open mouth, like the roasted quails in the fairy story, but can be obtained only by methodical pursuit and constant watchfulness. Under the heading The search for novelty and variety of impressions, the text says the Art of Happiness prescribes that, instead of cultivating a limited number of pleasurable impressions up to a high degree of intensity, we should seek a large variety.

The text says that amid the gay throng of pleasure-seekers at Ranelagh, Dr. Johnson felt himself distressed by the reflection that there was not one in all that brilliant circle who was not afraid to go home and think. The text says that the complaint is often made that men deceive each other, but that they deceive themselves far more. The text says what Plato meant when he said that the right aim of living should stand out of relation to pleasure or pain.