53 Gretchen Rubin Quotes for You to Enjoy

Gretchen Rubin

American Author

Happiness Me Myself People Time You

Related authors: F. Scott Fitzgerald Frederick Douglass Helen Keller Henry David Thoreau Joyce Meyer Mark Twain Og Mandino Zig Ziglar

Negative emotions like loneliness, envy, and guilt have an important role to play in a happy life; they're big, flashing signs that something needs to change. Gretchen Rubin

Life Loneliness Needs Change Happy Emotions Envy Negative Guilt Signs Important Big Happy Life Something Like Important Role Role Flashing Play

One of the best ways to make yourself happy in the present is to recall happy times from the past. Photos are a great memory-prompt, and because we tend to take photos of happy occasions, they weight our memories to the good. Gretchen Rubin

Best Good Great Memories Happy Yourself Past Our Ways Photos Tend Take Weight Make Occasions Because Times Recall Present

Turn off your email; turn off your phone; disconnect from the Internet; figure out a way to set limits so you can concentrate when you need to, and disengage when you need to. Technology is a good servant but a bad master. Gretchen Rubin

Being taken for granted is an unpleasant but sincere form of praise. Ironically, the more reliable you are, and the less you complain, the more likely you are to be taken for granted. Gretchen Rubin

You Complain Reliable Unpleasant More Taken Taken For Granted Sincere Likely Praise Ironically Being Form Granted Less

Nature is impersonal, awe-inspiring, elegant, eternal. It's geometrically perfect. It's tiny and gigantic. You can travel far to be in a beautiful natural setting, or you can observe it in your backyard - or, in my case, in the trees lining New York City sidewalks, or in the clouds above skyscrapers. Gretchen Rubin

Beautiful Nature You Travel Natural Clouds Setting Trees Backyard Gigantic City Case Above Perfect Impersonal Observe New Lining York Tiny New York New York City Eternal Far Your Elegant Skyscrapers Awe-Inspiring

Keep in mind that to avoid loneliness, many people need both a social circle and an intimate attachment. Having just one of two may still leave you feeling lonely. Gretchen Rubin

Happiness is a critical factor for work, and work is a critical factor for happiness. In one of those life-isn't-fair results, it turns out that the happy outperform the less happy. Happy people work more hours each week - and they work more in their free time, too. Gretchen Rubin

Superstition is the irrational belief that an object or behavior has the power to influence an outcome, when there's no logical connection between them. Most of us aren't superstitious - but most of us are a 'littlestitious.' Gretchen Rubin

Logical Behavior Power Outcome Object Superstition Superstitious Between Most Irrational Influence Them Us Connection Belief

The days are long, but the years are short. Gretchen Rubin

Long Days Years Short

One major challenge within happiness is loneliness. The more I've learned about happiness, the more I've come to believe that loneliness is a terrible, common, and important obstacle to consider. Gretchen Rubin

Happiness Loneliness Challenge Important Believe Consider About More Major Obstacle Come Terrible Learned Within Common

Habit allows us to go from 'before' to 'after,' to make life easier and better. Habit is notorious - and rightly so - for its ability to direct our actions, even against our will; but by mindfully shaping our habits, we can harness the power of mindlessness as a sweeping force for serenity, energy, and growth. Gretchen Rubin

Life Better Will Power Before Energy Harness Our Easier Rightly Ability Direct Habit Habits Shaping Force Make Go After Against Us Sweeping Notorious Serenity Actions Even Growth

In the scope of a happy life, a messy desk or an overstuffed coat closet is a trivial thing, yet I find - and I hear from other people that they agree - that getting rid of clutter gives a disproportionate boost to happiness. Gretchen Rubin

I collect axioms, paradoxes, maxims, teaching stories, proverbs, and aphorisms of all sorts, because I love to see complex ideas distilled into a few words. Gretchen Rubin

Love Words Few Distilled Complex Collect Paradoxes See Ideas Sort Because Proverbs Maxims Stories Aphorism Teaching Axiom

Spending hours stressed out in front of the TV isn't the same as volunteering or donating. Feeling a high level of personal distress makes people feel agitated and emotionally drained, to the point that they lack the energy or detachment to help - or the energy to manage themselves. Gretchen Rubin

People Feeling Energy Drained Spending Out TV High Detachment Distress High Level Point Emotionally Feel Hours Makes Manage Personal Same Front Lack Themselves Help Level Stressed

Remember that although the distinction can be difficult to draw, loneliness and solitude are different. Gretchen Rubin

Loneliness Solitude Remember Difficult Distinction Draw Although Different

If you're impatient while waiting for the bus, tell yourself you're doing 'Bus waiting meditation.' If you're standing in a slow line at the drugstore, you're doing 'Waiting in line meditation.' Just saying these words makes me feel very spiritual and high-minded and wise. Gretchen Rubin

Some kind of clutter is difficult - letting go of things with sentimental value, sifting through papers - but some clutter I find very refreshing to clear. I drive my daughters nuts because I'm always wandering into their rooms to clear clutter. Gretchen Rubin

Value Drive Difficult Nuts Papers Kind Find Some Daughters Through Clear Because Always Go Very Refreshing Wandering Clutter Rooms Sentimental Letting Letting Go Things

No leader did more for his country than Winston Churchill. Brave, magnanimous, traditional, he was like a king-general from Britain's heroic past. His gigantic qualities set him apart from ordinary humanity; there seemed no danger he feared, no effort too great for his limitless energies. Gretchen Rubin

Great Humanity Leader Country Past Too Heroic Danger Churchill Gigantic Feared Seemed Magnanimous More Winston Winston Churchill He Like Qualities Him Limitless Traditional His Than Effort Did Brave Energies Ordinary Apart Britain Set

People are powerfully moved by imagination, belief, and knowledge. They can consider the past and future. They can make changes in their behavior out of reason in a way that animals can't do. Gretchen Rubin

Future Knowledge People Behavior Animals Past Imagination Changes Consider Way Out Make Past And Future Moved Reason Belief

A 'treat' is different from a 'reward,' which must be justified or earned. A treat is a small pleasure or indulgence that we give to ourselves just because we want it. Treats give us greater vitality, which boosts self-control, which helps us maintain our healthy habits. Gretchen Rubin

Treat Reward Healthy Earned Our Pleasure Boost Ourselves Must Vitality Give Small Habits Maintain Self-Control Indulgence Greater Because Just Different Just Because Want Which Justified Us Helps Treats

We can use decision-making to choose the habits we want to form, use willpower to get the habit started, then - and this is the best part - we can allow the extraordinary power of habit to take over. At that point, we're free from the need to decide and the need to use willpower. Gretchen Rubin

Best Free Power Extraordinary Willpower Best Part Habit Point Habits Take Allow Part Over Get Want Form Decide Decision-Making Then Use Choose Started Need

I always feel calmer when I exercise. In fact, that's probably the main reason I exercise. Gretchen Rubin

Fact Main Main Reason Feel Exercise Always In Fact Reason

People often assume that the same approach will work for everyone, that the same habits will work for everyone, and that everyone has the same aptitude and appetite for forming habits, but from my observation, that's not true. Gretchen Rubin

Work People Will Assume Approach Everyone Aptitude Habits Observation True Same Often Forming Appetite

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