The Art of Living: Peace and Freedom in the Here and Now

by Thich Nhat Hanh

Our suffering is impermanent, and that is why we can transform it. And because happiness is impermanent, that is why we have to nourish it.

As soon as we realize that in this very moment we already have enough, and we already are enough, true happiness becomes possible.

The art of happiness is the art of living deeply in the present moment. The here and now is the only time and place where life is available and where we can find everything we are looking for, including love, freedom, peace, and well-being.

Happiness is a habit. It’s a training.

The number of days we have to live is not so important. What matters is how we live them.

We need to train ourselves to keep coming back to our breath and our body. Every time we reunite body and mind, we are reconciling with ourselves.

Happiness is not something that arrives in a package in the mail. Happiness does not fall out of the sky. Happiness is something we generate with mindfulness.

Life is available only in the present moment, and we already have more than enough conditions to be happy.

The art of dwelling happily in the present moment is the practice most needed in our time.

Mindfulness transforms even the most mundane of actions into sacred actions. Any moment can become a meaningful moment where we encounter life deeply—whether we’re washing the dishes, washing our hands, or walking to the bus stop.

Just sitting down and doing nothing is an art. It’s the art of non-doing. You don’t have to do anything. You don’t have to struggle with yourself in order to sit. You don’t have to make an effort to be peaceful.

Sitting meditation is an act of civilization. These days we are so busy, we don’t even have time to breathe. To take a moment to sit in stillness and cultivate peace, joy, and compassion—that is civilization. It is priceless.

The art of living happily is also the art of transforming our afflictions.

The path to well-being is the path out of ill-being.

Our idea of happiness may be the very obstacle standing in the way of our happiness.

The quality of our presence already changes the situation.

Ideas of good and evil are created by our mind, not by nature.