It’s easy to get stressed and forget the good things we have in our daily lives. With frantic lifestyles fraying our nerves, and social media bombarding any ounce of single-mindedness we might grasp, it’s often difficult to focus on the peaceful and positive things — and to simply be happy.

On top of everyday distractions, psychiatry and clinical psychology often focuses more on negative aspects of mental health than the positive ones; cognitive behavioral therapy often leaves us dwelling on the negatives of our past relationships and family upbringing, or in other words, the things that “messed us up.” But embracing optimism, and focusing on your strengths, is sometimes all you need to make your day a little brighter.

The Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, which is considered the clinical “Bible” of psychiatry and clinical psychology, “has 500,000 lines of text,” George Vaillant, a professor of psychiatry, told Harvard Magazine. “There are thousands of lines on anxiety and depression, and hundreds of lines on terror, shame, guilt, anger, and fear. But there are only five lines on hope, one line on joy, and not a single line on compassion, forgiveness, or love… My discipline taught me that positive thinking was simply denial… But working with people’s strengths instead of their weaknesses made a difference.”

Reading the below 10 quotes about happiness will remind you that happiness isn’t too far from your reach; in fact, it lies in your hands at this very moment. Sometimes all you need is a reality check and a quick change to your thought process.

  1. “To be happy, we must not be too concerned with others.” – Albert Camus
  2. “Make sure you don’t start seeing yourself through the eyes of those who don’t value you. Know your worth even if they don’t.” – Thema Davis
  3. “Go for long walks. Indulge in great conversations. Pay attention to the moment. Count your blessings. Let go for a little while and just be and breathe.” – Unknown
  4. “Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” – Abraham Lincoln
  5. “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” – J.R.R. Tolkien
  6. “There are more things to alarm us than to harm us, and we suffer more often in apprehension than reality.” – Seneca the Younger
  7. “The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.” – Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
  8. “A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?” – Albert Einstein
  9. “Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.” – Andy Rooney
  10. “No one really cares if you’re miserable, so you might as well be happy.” – Unknown