Helen Keller Happiness Quotes
Helen Keller was deaf, blind and dumb. She became a renowned author, a well-traveled speaker, and championed various causes such as opposition to war and women’s suffrage, to name a few.
In those moments when I’m on the pity bus I try to remember Helen Keller and her courage and it makes me feel better about my life. The following five happiness quotes highlight her guide to happiness and a life well lived.
“Safety is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men in general experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than open exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Keep our faces towards change and behaving like free spirits in the presence of destiny is the invincible force”.
What Helen is saying is that nothing is certain in life. Human beings love to feel secure financially, physically, and emotionally, to name a few things; however, life is random and unexpected. No matter how hard we try to stay safe, life is a game of luck.
People spend their lives holding back, taking no risks to protect themselves and maintain the illusion of being safe. They believe that going all out will be dangerous or they will get hurt. However, when it comes down to it, the person who is very adventurous and lives to the fullest and the person who is always afraid to try anything are equally insecure in this unpredictable world. Knowing this, isn’t it much better to go all out and experience and live life to the fullest? Because when it comes down to it, you’re in no more danger than living a life of mediocrity.
“Instead of comparing our luck with that of those who are more fortunate than us, we should compare it with the luck of the vast majority of our fellow men. Then it seems that we are among the privileged.”
We are all comparators that we cannot avoid. Every day we constantly compare ourselves to others in appearance, money, possessions, enjoyment of what you have. Everyone has felt inferior to someone else at one time or another. Helen suggests looking at most of the world and comparing himself then and chances are he is one of the privileged people in this world.
In fact, if you are reading this article right now, it means that you have the privilege of accessing a computer, millions of people around the world do not have that luxury. Count your blessings daily because compared to many people in the whole world, you have many.
“Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I am in, to be content.”
Helen was deaf and blind, she had to deal with darkness and silence all the time. I have no idea what happened, I can only try to imagine what it was like. She found a way to be content with her condition. Each person goes through different things in her life and some are more difficult than others. It is important to find a way to be happy no matter what is happening. You can’t control everything in this world, but you can choose how you react to different situations.
“I rarely think about my limitations, and they never make me sad. There may be a touch of longing sometimes, but it’s vague, like a breeze through the flowers.”
This quote is one of the reasons why I am truly inspired and in awe of this woman. She was deaf, blind, and dumb, and yet she rarely thought about her limitations. She had every reason to play the victim, but she didn’t. How many times do you play the victim feeling sorry for yourself for the smallest thing? I know I do that every day at some point. I dwell on my weaknesses and the things I don’t have and constantly indulge in self-pity. How productive is this? It is not productive at all. Instead of focusing on their strengths, people spend their precious time focusing on what they lack.
“Many people have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not achieved through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.
I am a big believer in making yourself happy. I find satisfaction in helping others, not just myself. Living alone for myself is not good enough. I want to feel like I’m having a positive impact on this world before I leave. I think this is what Helen is talking about in the quote above. There is nothing wrong with making sure you are happy but you also live for others and find more happiness.
The five quotes above represent Helen Keller’s guide to a full and fulfilling life. Helen’s words offer a way to live life to the fullest from a woman who did just that. I hope you take them seriously in her daily life.