What do you think?
Rate this book
Cheerfulness as a Life Power
Happy people live longer, they get promoted more often, and they make more money. This book will show you how to be happier in your life, and more importantly how to use that happiness to be more successful. First comes the happiness and then the success, not the other way around as we so often think. Marden's guidance will show you how to make happiness and success inevitable.
70 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 28, 2002
44 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
About the author
Orison Swett Marden
1,666 books174 followersOrison Swett Marden (1850-1924) was an American writer associated with the New Thought Movement. He also held a degree in medicine, and was a successful hotel owner.
Marden was born in Thornton Gore, New Hampshire to Lewis and Martha Marden. When he was three years old, his mother died at the age of 22, leaving Orison and his two sisters in the care of their father, a farmer, hunter, and trapper. When Orison was seven years old, his father died from injuries incurred while in the woods, and the children were shuttled from one guardian to another, with Orison working as a "hired boy" to earn his keep. Inspired by an early self-help book by the Scottish author Samuel Smiles, which he found in an attic, Marden set out to improve himself and his life circumstances. He persevered in advancing himself and graduated from Boston University in 1871. He later graduated from Harvard with an M.D. in 1881 and an LL.B. degree in 1882. He also studied at the Boston School of Oratory and Andover Theological Seminary.
Marden was born in Thornton Gore, New Hampshire to Lewis and Martha Marden. When he was three years old, his mother died at the age of 22, leaving Orison and his two sisters in the care of their father, a farmer, hunter, and trapper. When Orison was seven years old, his father died from injuries incurred while in the woods, and the children were shuttled from one guardian to another, with Orison working as a "hired boy" to earn his keep. Inspired by an early self-help book by the Scottish author Samuel Smiles, which he found in an attic, Marden set out to improve himself and his life circumstances. He persevered in advancing himself and graduated from Boston University in 1871. He later graduated from Harvard with an M.D. in 1881 and an LL.B. degree in 1882. He also studied at the Boston School of Oratory and Andover Theological Seminary.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 6, 2025
Cheerfulness is not fluff and this timeless self-help gem will convince you.
I really appreciate the fact that the author treats positivity as a muscle, not a mood. By being positive you can strengthen your mind, build some resilience and attract opportunities.
I really appreciate the fact that the author treats positivity as a muscle, not a mood. By being positive you can strengthen your mind, build some resilience and attract opportunities.
May 21, 2014
The book: Cheerfulness As A Life Power
The author: Orison Swett Marden, American "inspirational author" and proponent of the New Thought movement.
The subject: The importance of cheerfulness and how to cultivate it in your every day life.
Why I chose it: It was (and is) free on Kindle and sounded intriguing.
The rating: Three out of five stars
What I thought of it: This was a fun, quick read, but I think I'm just a bit too cynical (or realistic!) in some ways to have really loved it. In some ways this is certainly of its time – there's casual sexism and racism aplenty – but the writing is surprisingly lucid. A lot of it is standard positive thinking stuff, which is nice, but only really works up to a point. I don't think anyone should feel obligated to be that way all the time. Having a positive attitude is powerful, but not that powerful. Along with the aforementioned sexism and racism, it all felt a bit patronising. Still, it was free on Kindle and didn't take that long to read, so perhaps one to check out if you need a little boost or a reminder to practise gratitude.
Just one more thing: I will probably be reading "Smile or Die" by Barbara Ehrenreich soon, which should prove to be an interesting counterpoint to this book.
The author: Orison Swett Marden, American "inspirational author" and proponent of the New Thought movement.
The subject: The importance of cheerfulness and how to cultivate it in your every day life.
Why I chose it: It was (and is) free on Kindle and sounded intriguing.
The rating: Three out of five stars
What I thought of it: This was a fun, quick read, but I think I'm just a bit too cynical (or realistic!) in some ways to have really loved it. In some ways this is certainly of its time – there's casual sexism and racism aplenty – but the writing is surprisingly lucid. A lot of it is standard positive thinking stuff, which is nice, but only really works up to a point. I don't think anyone should feel obligated to be that way all the time. Having a positive attitude is powerful, but not that powerful. Along with the aforementioned sexism and racism, it all felt a bit patronising. Still, it was free on Kindle and didn't take that long to read, so perhaps one to check out if you need a little boost or a reminder to practise gratitude.
Just one more thing: I will probably be reading "Smile or Die" by Barbara Ehrenreich soon, which should prove to be an interesting counterpoint to this book.
February 17, 2017
The title says it all
Reminds me of the song "Don't worry, be happy". This was written in the late 1800s yet is as valid today as then. We all need this reminder that happiness begins from within us not from without. A fun and great read. It is difficult to read any page in the book and not come away with a very meaningful quote. This is yet another Marden book that every child over the age of 10 could benefit from reading and studying it. What does it take to be cheerful? Happy? Does it come from within or form without? Definitely from within. Happiness and cheerfulness is a choice and Marden shows you how and why we need to think in those terms if our goal is to be happy and cheerful.
Reminds me of the song "Don't worry, be happy". This was written in the late 1800s yet is as valid today as then. We all need this reminder that happiness begins from within us not from without. A fun and great read. It is difficult to read any page in the book and not come away with a very meaningful quote. This is yet another Marden book that every child over the age of 10 could benefit from reading and studying it. What does it take to be cheerful? Happy? Does it come from within or form without? Definitely from within. Happiness and cheerfulness is a choice and Marden shows you how and why we need to think in those terms if our goal is to be happy and cheerful.
June 26, 2015
Heavily-influenced by Christian principles, but still food for thought.
April 20, 2018
nice little motivational book
April 4, 2023
Favorite quotes:
"He alone is the happy man who has learned to extract happiness, not from ideal conditions, but from the actual ones about him. The man who has mastered the secret will not wait for ideal surroundings; he will not wait until next year, next decade, until he gets rich, until he can travel abroad, until he can afford to surround himself with works of the great masters; but he will make the most out of life today, where he is."
"There are ten things necessary for happiness in life, a GOOD DIGESTION, and the other nine, money." As someone who has suffered with bad digestion for many years I cannot agree more.
A good little book, I caught myself being in a dark place too often and thought, what the hey, I'll read this ancient book on cheerfulness, and it actually helped. The first quote is something to work towards.
"He alone is the happy man who has learned to extract happiness, not from ideal conditions, but from the actual ones about him. The man who has mastered the secret will not wait for ideal surroundings; he will not wait until next year, next decade, until he gets rich, until he can travel abroad, until he can afford to surround himself with works of the great masters; but he will make the most out of life today, where he is."
"There are ten things necessary for happiness in life, a GOOD DIGESTION, and the other nine, money." As someone who has suffered with bad digestion for many years I cannot agree more.
A good little book, I caught myself being in a dark place too often and thought, what the hey, I'll read this ancient book on cheerfulness, and it actually helped. The first quote is something to work towards.
January 20, 2023
Quote from the book:
“There is no investment a businessman can make that will pay him a greater percent, than patience and amiability. Good humor will sell the most goods. John Wanamaker’s clerks have been heard to say: “We can work better for a week after a pleasant ‘Good morning’ from Mr. Wanamaker.” “
“There is no investment a businessman can make that will pay him a greater percent, than patience and amiability. Good humor will sell the most goods. John Wanamaker’s clerks have been heard to say: “We can work better for a week after a pleasant ‘Good morning’ from Mr. Wanamaker.” “
September 23, 2024
I really enjoyed this book.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews