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Way to Happiness
Way to Happiness (1953) is a short collection of essays on moral and spiritual principles by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. As he writes in the introduction, his goal for this work was to bring "solace, healing and hope to hearts; truth and enlightenment to minds; goodness, strength and resolution to wills" through his exploration of universal topics like happiness, love, and inner peace.
Fulton J. Sheen was born in El Paso, Illinois, in 1895. After attending St. Viator College Seminary in Illinois and St. Paul Seminary in Minnesota, he received his ordination and was assigned to the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois. A student even after achieving priesthood, he received degrees at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, and the Pontificium Collegium Internationale Angelicum in Rome.
Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Archbishop Sheen was a weekly speaker on the popular radio program The Catholic Hour . With an audience in the millions, he shared his wisdom and knowledge of the scriptures and faith-based morality to aid listeners through their daily lives. This public education continued through the 1950s and 1960s on the television programs Life is Worth Living and The Fulton Sheen Program . Archbishop Sheen won an Emmy for Most Outstanding Television Personality in 1952.
During all of this activity, he found time to write dozens of books on faith. Way to Happiness was published in 1953, at the height of the archbishop's popularity. The book contains 37 short chapters on subjects key to daily life, including work and repose, self-discipline, the ego, and the spirit of giving. The book's short chapters make it a wonderful study for a month-long daily devotional.
Readers will find a simple message-although one that is a challenge to put into daily practice. "Our happiness consists in fulfilling the purpose of our being," writes Archbishop Sheen. That purpose is to overflow with three life, truth, and love with no limits, in their purest forms. Our humanity makes us long for these things. But to find them, "...we must go out beyond the limits of this shadowed world-to a Truth not mingled with its shadow, error-to a Life not mingled with its shadow, death-to a Love not mingled with its shadow, hate. We must seek for Pure Life, Pure Truth and Pure Love-and that is the definition of God."
The book is broken into eight sections, exploring themes of happiness, work, love, children, youth, inner peace, giving, and man. In each, Archbishop Sheen shares his warmth and wisdom, characterized by support from the scriptures and anecdotes from daily life.
While he encourages the reader to eschew the ego and cultivate self-discipline, he never lectures. One gets the sense that he has had the same conversations internally many times over before he shared them with the reader. Indeed, he admits, "Our world is full of prophets of doom, and I would be one of them if I did not practically believe in God." The world of the 1950s was one that had faced two world wars, a great depression, the rise of Communism, and more dramatic changes in just the preceding 40 years.
While the work takes an individual-level view of happiness and improvement, Archbishop Sheen is clear that the end result of personal betterment will lead to societal change. "Remake man," he writes, "and you remake his world." So while the true Way to Happiness may be walked alone, it was his hope that to walk it would lead the rest of the world to a better future.
Fulton J. Sheen was born in El Paso, Illinois, in 1895. After attending St. Viator College Seminary in Illinois and St. Paul Seminary in Minnesota, he received his ordination and was assigned to the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois. A student even after achieving priesthood, he received degrees at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, and the Pontificium Collegium Internationale Angelicum in Rome.
Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Archbishop Sheen was a weekly speaker on the popular radio program The Catholic Hour . With an audience in the millions, he shared his wisdom and knowledge of the scriptures and faith-based morality to aid listeners through their daily lives. This public education continued through the 1950s and 1960s on the television programs Life is Worth Living and The Fulton Sheen Program . Archbishop Sheen won an Emmy for Most Outstanding Television Personality in 1952.
During all of this activity, he found time to write dozens of books on faith. Way to Happiness was published in 1953, at the height of the archbishop's popularity. The book contains 37 short chapters on subjects key to daily life, including work and repose, self-discipline, the ego, and the spirit of giving. The book's short chapters make it a wonderful study for a month-long daily devotional.
Readers will find a simple message-although one that is a challenge to put into daily practice. "Our happiness consists in fulfilling the purpose of our being," writes Archbishop Sheen. That purpose is to overflow with three life, truth, and love with no limits, in their purest forms. Our humanity makes us long for these things. But to find them, "...we must go out beyond the limits of this shadowed world-to a Truth not mingled with its shadow, error-to a Life not mingled with its shadow, death-to a Love not mingled with its shadow, hate. We must seek for Pure Life, Pure Truth and Pure Love-and that is the definition of God."
The book is broken into eight sections, exploring themes of happiness, work, love, children, youth, inner peace, giving, and man. In each, Archbishop Sheen shares his warmth and wisdom, characterized by support from the scriptures and anecdotes from daily life.
While he encourages the reader to eschew the ego and cultivate self-discipline, he never lectures. One gets the sense that he has had the same conversations internally many times over before he shared them with the reader. Indeed, he admits, "Our world is full of prophets of doom, and I would be one of them if I did not practically believe in God." The world of the 1950s was one that had faced two world wars, a great depression, the rise of Communism, and more dramatic changes in just the preceding 40 years.
While the work takes an individual-level view of happiness and improvement, Archbishop Sheen is clear that the end result of personal betterment will lead to societal change. "Remake man," he writes, "and you remake his world." So while the true Way to Happiness may be walked alone, it was his hope that to walk it would lead the rest of the world to a better future.
94 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1949
42 people are currently reading
473 people want to read
About the author
Fulton J. Sheen
517 books741 followersFulton John Sheen was an American bishop of the Catholic Church known for his preaching and especially his work on television and radio. Ordained a priest of the Diocese of Peoria in Illinois, in 1919, Sheen quickly became a renowned theologian, earning the Cardinal Mercier Prize for International Philosophy in 1923. He went on to teach theology and philosophy at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and served as a parish priest before he was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York in 1951. He held this position until 1966 when he was made bishop of the Diocese of Rochester in New York. He resigned as bishop of Rochester in 1969 as his 75th birthday approached and was made archbishop of the titular see of Newport, Wales.
For 20 years as "Father Sheen", later monsignor, he hosted the night-time radio program The Catholic Hour on NBC (1930–1950) before he moved to television and presented Life Is Worth Living (1952–1957). Sheen's final presenting role was on the syndicated The Fulton Sheen Program (1961–1968) with a format that was very similar to that of the earlier Life Is Worth Living show. For that work, Sheen twice won an Emmy Award for Most Outstanding Television Personality, and was featured on the cover of Time magazine. Starting in 2009, his shows were being re-broadcast on the EWTN and the Trinity Broadcasting Network's Church Channel cable networks. His contribution to televised preaching resulted in Sheen often being called one of the first televangelists.
The cause for his canonization was officially opened in 2002. In June 2012, Pope Benedict XVI officially recognized a decree from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints stating that he lived a life of "heroic virtues," a major step towards beatification, and he is now referred to as venerable. On July 5, 2019, Pope Francis approved a reputed miracle that occurred through the intercession of Sheen, clearing the way for his beatification. Sheen was scheduled to be beatified in Peoria on December 21, 2019, but his beatification was postponed after Bishop Salvatore Matano of Rochester expressed concern that Sheen's handling of a 1963 sexual misconduct case against a priest might be cited unfavorably in a forthcoming report from the New York Attorney General. The Diocese of Peoria countered that Sheen's handling of the case had already been "thoroughly examined" and "exonerated" and that Sheen had "never put children in harm's way".
For 20 years as "Father Sheen", later monsignor, he hosted the night-time radio program The Catholic Hour on NBC (1930–1950) before he moved to television and presented Life Is Worth Living (1952–1957). Sheen's final presenting role was on the syndicated The Fulton Sheen Program (1961–1968) with a format that was very similar to that of the earlier Life Is Worth Living show. For that work, Sheen twice won an Emmy Award for Most Outstanding Television Personality, and was featured on the cover of Time magazine. Starting in 2009, his shows were being re-broadcast on the EWTN and the Trinity Broadcasting Network's Church Channel cable networks. His contribution to televised preaching resulted in Sheen often being called one of the first televangelists.
The cause for his canonization was officially opened in 2002. In June 2012, Pope Benedict XVI officially recognized a decree from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints stating that he lived a life of "heroic virtues," a major step towards beatification, and he is now referred to as venerable. On July 5, 2019, Pope Francis approved a reputed miracle that occurred through the intercession of Sheen, clearing the way for his beatification. Sheen was scheduled to be beatified in Peoria on December 21, 2019, but his beatification was postponed after Bishop Salvatore Matano of Rochester expressed concern that Sheen's handling of a 1963 sexual misconduct case against a priest might be cited unfavorably in a forthcoming report from the New York Attorney General. The Diocese of Peoria countered that Sheen's handling of the case had already been "thoroughly examined" and "exonerated" and that Sheen had "never put children in harm's way".
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 13, 2019
Although first published in 1953, Bishop Sheen's words are as pertinent today as in the 50's, IMO more so. This is a book for all seasons. 37 short chapters that I tried to read one of daily. If you want words of comfort and happiness, read it.
February 2, 2022
Terrifically insightful and prophetic for our times. Worth reading for all people, regardless of their faith background.
December 28, 2022
despite being written around world war 2, this book is still fully relevant and a modern take on moral pleasure. fulton j. sheen focuses on the reality of the modern person’s ego, greed, and internal conflict as the main blocks to happiness. he distinguishes the small happy decisions that shape a saint!
October 17, 2022
Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen has copious wise assessments of the condition of modern man and effective laconic advice about how to solve some of his problems--involving directing him to his final end: eternal life with God. Cool.
March 8, 2023
I really liked the short chapters in this book that gives the reader bite-sized amounts of wisdom to take in. Archbishop Sheen has so much to say and I found it so relatable to our current times and climate.
There is so much to absorb in this book that it will take more than one time reading to begin to take it all in which I love. Books that teach me something new with each reading are among my favorites!
This book can be read cover to cover, or the reader can pick a short chapter to read. I did a little of both and appreciated so much the writings of this wise man who gave so much to the Church during his lifetime and even since his death. All things in the book point is to the one true source of happiness, Jesus. With various examples and stories, everyone will find something in this book that speaks to them. What a blessing to be able to read his writings. I look forward to reading other books in this set.
Thank you to TAN Books for the copy of this
book. All views are my honest opinion.
There is so much to absorb in this book that it will take more than one time reading to begin to take it all in which I love. Books that teach me something new with each reading are among my favorites!
This book can be read cover to cover, or the reader can pick a short chapter to read. I did a little of both and appreciated so much the writings of this wise man who gave so much to the Church during his lifetime and even since his death. All things in the book point is to the one true source of happiness, Jesus. With various examples and stories, everyone will find something in this book that speaks to them. What a blessing to be able to read his writings. I look forward to reading other books in this set.
Thank you to TAN Books for the copy of this
book. All views are my honest opinion.
September 9, 2018
Written in 1953 but is so relevant for today. I kept thinking as I read this "the more things change, the more they stay the same". If Fr. Sheen thought things were bad back then, he simply must be turning cart wheels in his grave now!
I found it interesting with ups and downs throughout for me, meaning, as soon as I thought it had exhausted itself, it got real interesting. Then a lull, then interesting.... can't say anything bad about this at all, but going with the Good Reads star system here, for me, it was just ok.
I found it interesting with ups and downs throughout for me, meaning, as soon as I thought it had exhausted itself, it got real interesting. Then a lull, then interesting.... can't say anything bad about this at all, but going with the Good Reads star system here, for me, it was just ok.
May 24, 2019
Venerable Fulton Sheen really is the great communicator. This little book is so easy to read as he breaks down many aspects of life and how we should live them to be closer to God. Many a thing was highlighted and I feel more capable of living the life I should be.
June 10, 2013
Fulton Sheen had a gift for every modern man. In a few, pointed and polished jewels he shines a light of Truth in the darkness of the soul of workers, parents, lovers, and thieves.
June 15, 2019
One of the best guides on life and spirituality
March 5, 2018
Quotable:
Our exterior world today is in desperate straits, but the inner world of man is far from hopeless. The world of politics and economics lags behind the psychological development of men themselves… [P]eace will come less from political changes than from man himself, who, driven to take refuge within his own soul from the turmoil without, will be lifted above himself to the happiness for which he was made.
[T]he man who lives only for his own impulses keeps very bad company.
A revolution is involved whenever any soul dethrones the ego which has mastered him and submits, instead, to the principle of love. A revolution occurs whenever humility replaces pride in us, and we abandon foolish striving for “success” and notoriety.
There is a profound difference in quality between the possessions that we need, and use, and actually enjoy, and the accumulations of useless things we accumulate out of vanity or greed or the desire to surpass others.
Hatred comes from want of knowledge, as love comes from knowledge; thus bigotry is properly related to ignorance.
We love to see ourselves idealized in the minds of others. That is one of the beautiful joys of love. We become fresh, innocent, brave, strong in the mind of the beloved. Love covers up the corruption of the soul… When the other thinks well of us, we ty to be worthy of that opinion… That is why too, one of the basic principles of life ought to be to assume goodness in others; thus we make them good.
If we break the law of temperance, a headache follows.
The alarming amount of hatred loose in the modern world is largely caused by guilt: the man who hates himself begins to hate his fellowmen. Unconfessed, and sometimes unadmitted sins create a deep unease within the personality… the balance has to be, somehow, restored; the self must somehow be placed in a more favorable light. The right way to do this is to admit, confess and do penance for our sins. The wrong way… which many unhappy people take today… is to make the self seem better, sins and all, by detracting from someone else.
Many people who are very kind in their own homes and offices can become very unkind and selfish once they get behind the steering wheel of an automobile. This is probably due the the fact that in their own home they are known; in the automobile they have the advantage of anonymity and hence can be almost brutal without fear of discovery.
A life of faith and with peace of soul can be cultivated only by periodical isolation from the cares of the world.
Men who are gentle at home and kind to friends, become like raging beasts growling at the stupidity of every other driver once they get behind a wheel where anonymity protects them.
Only on the principle of giving can the inequalities of the human race be adjusted, can the strong help the weak, and social peace reign among them.
Existence implies the right to have sufficient food and clothing and a place to live; it does not, however, imply the right to have a sea-going yacht. Our rights to own property, to have things, decrease as the objects are farther and farther removed from our personal necessities.
Religion must not be a cloak covering the dagger of hate.
No alcoholic is cured until he finds something to value more highly than the attraction of alcohol.
Instead of making the hat of governmental policy fit the head of man, the modern tendency is to cut off the head if it does not fit the hat… to demand that institutions, political schemes and social theories must prevail, no matter if their cost proves to be the destruction of man himself.
Our exterior world today is in desperate straits, but the inner world of man is far from hopeless. The world of politics and economics lags behind the psychological development of men themselves… [P]eace will come less from political changes than from man himself, who, driven to take refuge within his own soul from the turmoil without, will be lifted above himself to the happiness for which he was made.
[T]he man who lives only for his own impulses keeps very bad company.
A revolution is involved whenever any soul dethrones the ego which has mastered him and submits, instead, to the principle of love. A revolution occurs whenever humility replaces pride in us, and we abandon foolish striving for “success” and notoriety.
There is a profound difference in quality between the possessions that we need, and use, and actually enjoy, and the accumulations of useless things we accumulate out of vanity or greed or the desire to surpass others.
Hatred comes from want of knowledge, as love comes from knowledge; thus bigotry is properly related to ignorance.
We love to see ourselves idealized in the minds of others. That is one of the beautiful joys of love. We become fresh, innocent, brave, strong in the mind of the beloved. Love covers up the corruption of the soul… When the other thinks well of us, we ty to be worthy of that opinion… That is why too, one of the basic principles of life ought to be to assume goodness in others; thus we make them good.
If we break the law of temperance, a headache follows.
The alarming amount of hatred loose in the modern world is largely caused by guilt: the man who hates himself begins to hate his fellowmen. Unconfessed, and sometimes unadmitted sins create a deep unease within the personality… the balance has to be, somehow, restored; the self must somehow be placed in a more favorable light. The right way to do this is to admit, confess and do penance for our sins. The wrong way… which many unhappy people take today… is to make the self seem better, sins and all, by detracting from someone else.
Many people who are very kind in their own homes and offices can become very unkind and selfish once they get behind the steering wheel of an automobile. This is probably due the the fact that in their own home they are known; in the automobile they have the advantage of anonymity and hence can be almost brutal without fear of discovery.
A life of faith and with peace of soul can be cultivated only by periodical isolation from the cares of the world.
Men who are gentle at home and kind to friends, become like raging beasts growling at the stupidity of every other driver once they get behind a wheel where anonymity protects them.
Only on the principle of giving can the inequalities of the human race be adjusted, can the strong help the weak, and social peace reign among them.
Existence implies the right to have sufficient food and clothing and a place to live; it does not, however, imply the right to have a sea-going yacht. Our rights to own property, to have things, decrease as the objects are farther and farther removed from our personal necessities.
Religion must not be a cloak covering the dagger of hate.
No alcoholic is cured until he finds something to value more highly than the attraction of alcohol.
Instead of making the hat of governmental policy fit the head of man, the modern tendency is to cut off the head if it does not fit the hat… to demand that institutions, political schemes and social theories must prevail, no matter if their cost proves to be the destruction of man himself.
February 12, 2023
As usual, full of wit and wisdom and all the insight one would expect from the good Archbishop. While a beneficial read, it's also a bit of a tough one. The current running through the book is that if one is unhappy, it's due to his or her own selfishness (he doesn't address clinical depression or other matters, though he does quote psychological principles and findings throughout). I'm not disagreeing with Archbishop Sheen, but it is a somewhat difficult thing about which to think.
The book is broken into little bite-sized chapters on all manner of subjects in connection with happiness and unhappiness. He devotes a few chapters to marriage and family life, which I thought to be the most insightful and enjoyable, though the entire book is riddled with great lines. His insight on jealousy being occasioned through melancholia and sadness I thought to be particularly original and interesting, and could have used a chapter of its own.
Written in the 1950s, it's amazing to see what one of the most prominent pre-Vatican II prelates (at least in the Anglosphere) thought of the world. He believed men were too intent on fixing and reforming institutions over individuals (if only he could see today), that the West had entered an "age of humiliation," and that the East would overtake the West in spiritual fervor. Despite the state of things, he nevertheless believed the West was on the cusp of a great revival, and that the soil was rich for a new evangelization. Little did he know what the next decade would bring.
The book is broken into little bite-sized chapters on all manner of subjects in connection with happiness and unhappiness. He devotes a few chapters to marriage and family life, which I thought to be the most insightful and enjoyable, though the entire book is riddled with great lines. His insight on jealousy being occasioned through melancholia and sadness I thought to be particularly original and interesting, and could have used a chapter of its own.
Written in the 1950s, it's amazing to see what one of the most prominent pre-Vatican II prelates (at least in the Anglosphere) thought of the world. He believed men were too intent on fixing and reforming institutions over individuals (if only he could see today), that the West had entered an "age of humiliation," and that the East would overtake the West in spiritual fervor. Despite the state of things, he nevertheless believed the West was on the cusp of a great revival, and that the soil was rich for a new evangelization. Little did he know what the next decade would bring.
August 4, 2017
As always, Sheen is a thought-provoking read. Not as engaging as most of his texts, but surely not his least.
June 15, 2021
Full of wisdom for the trials we are dealing with today.
October 6, 2021
Much needed in today's culture of materialism and 'me'.
April 11, 2024
Uma leitura necessária!! Espetacular!
August 6, 2025
Fulton Sheen never disappoints me. Everything he said was spot on in the past and even now that he has passed his words still ring true.
December 10, 2025
A wonderful little book that resonates as much today as it did 60 years ago. This was a nice book to listen to as an audiobook!
November 29, 2023
“And that is why institutions and plans must be supple and elastic enough to fit the free, aspiring spirit of the men who grow and enlarge their vision as they reach toward God. No lesser goal than God Himself is great enough to demand of any man that he transforms his nature; no human institution has the right to cramp his powers. Man is the highest creature on earth: he matters more than every theory, every government, every plan, for the world and all that it contains are not worth one immortal soul. Let institutions crumble, blueprints go up in smoke, and governments decay.”
August 13, 2013
This is an excellent book. Some of the chapters pertain to different states in life and could be skipped around based on that. Overall, Fulton Sheen gives a good perspective on reality and the challenges facing man. The core of this book is that man is utterly lost without God. Without that proper orientation to God, man loses his inner peace. Without inner peace, man loses peace with his neighbor. The only source of peace in this world is for man to seek his happiness in God.
April 12, 2014
A brilliant and thought provoking read. Also easy to read because each chapter was 3 to 4 pages long on an average. It was a small book put aside after I began it a few years ago. Finished it today.
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October 6, 2013an amazing book that will draw you closer to God .
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews