Taoism, along with Buddhhism and confucianism, is one of the three great philosophical schools of ancient China. The Tao Te Ching, the main text of Taoism, is the most translated work in the world.

Taoists believe that happiness can be found by following nature. For instance, water always travels around rocks, so we should try to go around problems rather than plough directly through them.

When a tiger's belly is full, it stops hunting...in the same way, we should not work constantly or take more than we need. You get the picture.

How do you know if you are 'suffering' from the belief that you have to work for happiness?
Here are some telltale signs:

You believe happiness is not natural; it has to be deserved.
You believe people must earn happiness; it is not freely given.
You believe that all happiness has a price.
Your life is a never-ending a 'to do' list to make another 'to do' list.
You are lost without something to do. Without achievement, you are nothing.
You can't relax. In fact, you believe relaxation 'makes you' feel guilty.

Two birds inseparable companions perched on the same tree.

One eats fruit, the other looks on.

The first bird is our individual self, feeding on the pleasures and pains of this world;
The other is the universal Self, silently witnessing all.

Now has enough wisdom to last you forever, because within you, right now, there is all the wisdom you listen out for in others.

Now has enough love to last you a lifetime because within you, right now, there is the love you continually
cry out for.

Now has enough peace to last you an eternity, because within you, right now, peace of mind is one thought away at most.

And now enough joy to outlast the world, because within you, right now, the joy you chase is not in things..it is in you.

Matter and energy are one. The universe is a collection of energy. Even what we think of as space is a field of energy. Matter is an intensification of that energy. The universal law of conservation of energy provides that energy cannot be lost or destroyed; only changed from one form to another, from one state to another, as flaming wood becomes heat and sunlight becomes flowers. We, and everything else, are all made of the same energy. We can never be apart from that energy. Separation, therefore, in that basic way, is an illusion.

Male and female are not opposite but complimentary. The meaning of opposite is generally thought to be opposing, and from that arises misconceptions about the true relationship of men and women. In the universe, the creative force, symbolized by the male energy, brings things into being, but to do so, it must work through the receptive force, symbolized by the female energy. Neither the receptive force nor the creative force can do anything without the other.

Holding joy in our hearts attracts friends, creates harmony within ourselves and others, creates an inner sense of well-being, and puts a sparkle in our eyes. To be joyous of heart is to hold an optimistic outlook, to see adversity as opportunity, to see failure as the starting point of success, to view our stubbed toes as the release of acupunture points, to wake with a feeling of gratitude, and to sleep with a sustaining, unfaltering trust in the universe of which we are a part. The person with a joyous heart is a treasure to be with, a wellspring of inspiration, and fit companion.

Happiness is produced not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen, as by little advantage that occur every day.
Benjamin Franklin

Happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of traveling.
Margaret Runback

Happiness is to be found along the way, not at the end of the road, for then the journey is over and it is too late. Today, this hour, this minute is the day, the hour, the minute for each of us to sense the fact that life is good, with all its trials and troubles, and perhaps more interesting because of them.
Robert Updegraff

Happiness belongs to those who are sufficient unto themselves. For all external sources of happiness and pleasure are, by their very nature, highly uncertain, precarious, ephemeral and subject to chance.
arthur schopenhauer

There is more to life than just existing and having a pleasant time.
j.c.f. von schiller

The only true happiness comes from squandering ourselves for a purpose.
john m. brown

The very first condition of lasting happiness is that a life should be full of purpose, aiming at something outside self.
hugh black

What our deepest self craves is not mere enjoyment, but some supreme purpose that will enlist all our powers and give unity and direction to our life.
henry j. golding

Enjoyment is not a goal, it is a feeling that accompanies important ongoing activity.
paul goodman