International Day of Happiness: 20 Famous Happiness Quotes

Happy quotes from 20 prominent people around the world.

Don't Worry, Be Happy - Move over Spring Equinox, today is also the International Day of Happiness. The United Nations Foundation and Pharrell Williams have partnered to promote joy and smiles across the world through the holiday. To get into the spirit, take a look at 20 happiness quotes from prominent individuals. — Natelege Whaley (@Natelege) (Photo: United Nations Foundation)

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Don't Worry, Be Happy - Move over Spring Equinox, today is also the International Day of Happiness. The United Nations Foundation and Pharrell Williams have partnered to promote joy and smiles across the world through the holiday. To get into the spirit, take a look at 20 happiness quotes from prominent individuals. — Natelege Whaley (@Natelege) (Photo: United Nations Foundation)

Gandhi's Salt March (India) - Marching against the British empire’s monopoly of salt, Mahatma Gandhi inspired millions of his countrymen to band together in 1930 for one of the country’s first organized mass movement. While the 240-mile march did not yield any tax concessions, the campaign bore many significant long-term effects, such as provoking further waves of civil disobedience and influencing the strategies of Martin Luther King Jr.(Photo: Central Press/Getty Images)

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Mahatma Gandhi - "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." (Photo: Central Press/Getty Images)

Alice Walker: February 9 - The Color Purple author turns 70 years old this week. (Photo by Dana Nalbandian/WireImage)

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Alice Walker - "Don't wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get you've got to make yourself."(Photo: Dana Nalbandian/WireImage)

Nelson Mandela - “Tread softly; breathe peacefully; laugh hysterically.”   (Photo: Mike Hutchings/Reuters)

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Nelson Mandela - “Tread softly; breathe peacefully; laugh hysterically.”   (Photo: Mike Hutchings/Reuters)

Dr. Maya Angelou - R Norene Brown: "Dr. Maya Angelou: She's a highly seasoned individual & she's exudes positivity, joy, life and wisdom; elements the generation needs."(Photo: Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup)

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Maya Angelou - “When you wish someone joy, you wish them peace, love, prosperity, happiness... all the good things.” (Photo: Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup)

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Fela Anikulapo-Kuti - "Despite my sadness, I create joyful rhythms. Yeah, I am sad. I am an artist. I have my reasons for being sad. I want to change sadness. I want people to be happy. And I can do it by playing happy music. And through happy music I tell them about the sadness of others." (Photo: Reuters)

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Fela Anikulapo-Kuti - "Despite my sadness, I create joyful rhythms. Yeah, I am sad. I am an artist. I have my reasons for being sad. I want to change sadness. I want people to be happy. And I can do it by playing happy music. And through happy music I tell them about the sadness of others." (Photo: Reuters)

Oprah Winfrey - They must not get television in Zurich. That's the only way we could explain why a shopkeeper in the Swiss city would deny one of the richest women in the world, Winfrey, the opportunity to buy a pricey Hèrmes handbag, telling her, "it's too expensive." We think this is one of those situations that warrants the phrase, "Don't you know who I am?" (Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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Oprah Winfrey - "I define joy as a sustained sense of well-being and internal peace — a connection to what matters."  (Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Denzel Washington: December 28 - The Oscar-winning actor celebrates his 59th birthday.(Photo: Monica Schipper/Getty Images)

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Denzel Washington - "My faith helps me understand that circumstances don't dictate my happiness, my inner peace." (Photo: Monica Schipper/Getty Images)

Tyler Perry @tylerperry - Tweet: "Man Joe what's up with the fur coat!!!!" (Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

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Tyler Perry - "Happiness for me is totally just being at peace knowing that, everything I'm doing, God is pleased with that. It's complete peace for me."(Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Queen Latifah Marries Same-Sex Couples at Grammys - At the top of the year, during the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, Queen Latifah played a major role in arguably the night's most memorable moment. She officiated the live nuptials of 33 couples, both gay and straight, during a performance of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis's hit "Same Love."(PhoKevork Djansezian/Getty Images)to:

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Queen Latifah - "I don't have to take a trip around the world or be on a yacht in the Mediterranean to have happiness. I can find it in the little things, like looking out into my backyard and seeing deer in the fields." (Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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Jourdan Dunn - "Happiness is making your dreams come true." (Photo: Monica Schipper/FilmMagic)

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Jourdan Dunn - "Happiness is making your dreams come true." (Photo: Monica Schipper/FilmMagic)

Herbie Hancock - "It's part of life to have obstacles. It's about overcoming obstacles; that's the key to happiness." (Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

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Herbie Hancock - "It's part of life to have obstacles. It's about overcoming obstacles; that's the key to happiness." (Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Josephine Baker - Good thing PETA wasn't around in the 1930s. Singer Josephine Baker traveled the world with her pet cheetah, Chiquita, who she decked out with a diamond-crusted collar. Wonder how Chiquita felt about Baker's signature furs?  (Photo: Trascendental Graphics/Getty Images)

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Josephine Baker - "God dislikes evil, and no happiness can be built on hate. Love one another as brothers."(Photo: Trascendental Graphics/Getty Images)

Lupita Nygon'o - "I discovered that joy is not the negation of pain, but rather acknowledging the presence of pain and feeling happiness in spite of it." (Photo: Rob Kim/Getty Images)

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Lupita Nygon'o - "I discovered that joy is not the negation of pain, but rather acknowledging the presence of pain and feeling happiness in spite of it." (Photo: Rob Kim/Getty Images)

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Wilma Rudolph - "When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high, no trouble too difficult to overcome." (Photo: MCT /Landov)

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Russell Simmons @UncleRush - Tweet: RIP to one of the greatest women this world has ever known. Thank you Maya Angelou for all of the gifts and knowledge you gave us... (Photo: Michael Kovac/Getty Images for LACOSTE + CAMPANAS)

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Russell Simmons - "I don't spend any time thinking about my place in history, ever. If people say I changed things, it's nice, and I take it — but if I could give it to a charity it would be useful. I really believe now that my only job in life is to achieve a state of comfort and happiness."(Photo: Michael Kovac/Getty Images for LACOSTE + CAMPANAS)

Taraji P. Henson - "It's up to you to be responsible for how you feel if you're not happy. Your happiness lies in your hands. You can't rely on a man to make you happy or complete you. That starts with you."(Photo: Bennett Raglin/Getty Images)

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Taraji P. Henson - "It's up to you to be responsible for how you feel if you're not happy. Your happiness lies in your hands. You can't rely on a man to make you happy or complete you. That starts with you."(Photo: Bennett Raglin/Getty Images)

Keke Palmer - "I think people should have fun. And don't get so down on yourself. Enjoy life and be the best person you can be." (Photo: Angela Weiss/Getty Images)

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Keke Palmer - "I think people should have fun. And don't get so down on yourself. Enjoy life and be the best person you can be." (Photo: Angela Weiss/Getty Images)

Jada Pinkett Smith - Behind every A-list box office star is a strong, smart woman, but Jada Pinkett Smith has never been content with just standing by her man. An accomplished actress in her own right, Smith is also a producer and partners with her husband in their company Overbrook Entertainment. Behind the scenes, Jada has produced both big-budget blockbusters like The Karate Kid and powerful independent films like The Secret Life of Bees and Free Angela and All Political Prisoners.(Photo: Splash News)

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Jada Pinkett Smith - "You know, as I get older, personal happiness is all about love. It's all about love. You know, how I'm loved and how I love my family and my husband. That to me is happiness, when I feel like I am loved and I have a place to love deeply. That to me is happiness." (Photo: Splash News)

Advocate for Real Music - During a 2006 panel discussion at the Essence Music Festival, Scott criticized rap music as being "dirty, inappropriate, inadequate, unhealthy and polluted" and urged the listening audience to realize their own power and "demand more." (Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images)

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Jill Scott - "At my aunt's funeral, I promised myself that I wouldn't be bound by the belief that I'm supposed to stay in anything — whether it's a relationship, a job, a house, or a circumstance — if it makes me miserable. She gave me the courage to find my own happiness." (Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images