Choosing the right spouse and the right profession are the two most crucial decisions for leading a happy and meaningful life.

“I basically argue that the two the two most important decisions that either make you happy or incredibly miserable is choosing the right spouse and choosing the right profession. If you make those two choices correctly, you're well on your way to being a happy person.”

The pursuit of happiness requires one to embrace and accept unhappiness as part of the process.

“And my whole concept of happiness rolls meaning into happiness. Thus incorporating unhappiness into the process of getting happier, which of course is the standard experience of being fully alive.”

Happiness is a byproduct of engaging in meaningful activities rather than a primary goal to be pursued directly.

“happiness is the kind of thing that seems to arise as a byproduct of certain kinds of meaningful activity but if you make it the sort of goal of your life you can sort of bear down on it too much and then it sort of goes away”