Jake

“The happiness which they (the philosophers) meant was not a life of rapture; but moments of such, in an existence made up of few and transitory pains, many and various pleasures, with a decided predominance of the active over the passive, and having as the foundation of the whole, not to expect more from life than it is capable of bestowing. A life thus composed, to those who have been fortunate enough to obtain it, has always appeared worthy of the name of happiness.”
― John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism

“Almost nothing material is needed for a happy life, for he who has understood existence.”
― Marcus Aurelius

“The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.”
― Alan Wilson Watts, The Culture of Counter-Culture: Edited Transcripts

“The sky grows dark
The black over blue
Yet the stars still dare
To shine for you”
― Matt Haig, The Midnight Library