The secret of happiness is variety, but the secret of variety, like the secret of all spices, is knowing when to use it.

I actually think the same things do make most people happy. The differences are extremely small, and around the margins. You like peach ice cream; I like strawberry ice cream. Both of us like ice cream much better than a smack on the head with two-by-four.

The fact that we often judge the pleasure of an experience by its ending can cause us to make some curious choices.

Perceptions are portraits, not photographs, and their form reveals the artist’s hand every bit as much as it reflects the things portrayed

Most of us appear to believe that we are more athletic, intelligent, organized, ethical, logical, interesting, open-minded, and healthy-not to mention more attractive-than the average person.

In short, we derive support for our preferred conclusions by listening to the words that we put in the mouths of people who have already been preselected for their willingness to say what we want to hear.

In short, if we adhere to the standard of perfection in all our endeavors, we are left with nothing but mathematics and the White Album.