There’s something truly satisfying about that first sip of morning coffee. It warms the stomach and the soul simultaneously. And welcomes the day to begin.
Without it, the world seems out of sorts. Things don’t flow as they should. And the people around you, well, they should probably go far far away.
It doesn’t bear thinking about, as moments like that first cup of coffee, a walk on the beach, or a hug from someone who smells really good, are what makes a day that much better. They’re like little bursts of happiness that envelop us, making us feel safe and loved.
And though seemingly simple things, they hold the key to true contentment.
Is Finding Contentment in Our Lives All That Important?
There will always be more. More money to make. More places to visit. More things to buy. And for some people, the chase for more is compelling.
Every day feels like a race; a sprint to get to the pot of gold first. Only, no matter how many pots they find, it’ll never be enough. And the sinkhole of disappointment will only grow.
Imagine that – a life of constant frustration and despair. A life of resentment and bitterness, of jealousy and self-pity. And a heart so empty from the greed.
Thankfully, most of us will never know that kind of void. Yes, we might fancy that new T-shirt from the shop window or a new car thanks to a long-awaited pay rise. But appreciating what we have, rather than obsessing over what we don’t, is the key to living a satisfied life.
It allows us to find joy in big old comfy armchairs, and phone calls with friends. And in cold winter walks with bobble hats and scarves. It enriches our lives by making memories over money and brings the kind of warmth that no material object can offer.
Because life is too short to be constantly chasing after more – more money, more things. Instead, we need to find contentment in our existing lives, appreciating what we have and cherishing the people who bring us joy.
It's these relationships that truly matter, with the people who want nothing more than to share some happiness with us. And maybe a coffee, or a hug.
So let’s embrace finding satisfaction in our lives. Let’s embrace the here and now. And let’s cherish every small moment that leaves us feeling content.
Now let’s get started on these contentment quotes.
65 Contentment Quotes on Being Satisfied with Life
- “Health is the greatest possession. Contentment is the greatest treasure. Confidence is the greatest friend. Non-being is the greatest joy.” – Lao Tzu
- “Contentment is the foundation of true happiness. It is accepting and embracing the present moment as it is.” – Jeremiah Say
- “Be happy with what you have and are, be generous with both, and you won't have to hunt for happiness.” – William E. Gladstone
- “The greatest wealth is to live content with little.” – Plato
- “Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have.” – Unknown
- “Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?” – Bob Marley
- “Contentment is the only real wealth.” – Alfred Nobel
- “Most people didn’t see the beauty behind the everyday, didn’t enjoy the simple pleasures in life, didn’t stop and smell the roses … and just because these phrases were considered platitudes didn’t make them any less true. For you could belittle truth, lambaste it, deny its existence, but truth would always still be there, as unconcerned as the inexorably flowing Mississippi.” – Ray Smith
Most people didn’t see the beauty behind the everyday, didn’t enjoy the simple pleasures in life, didn’t stop and smell the roses … and just because these phrases were considered platitudes didn’t make them any less true. For you could belittle truth, lambaste it, deny its existence, but truth would always still be there, as unconcerned as the inexorably flowing Mississippi.” – Ray Smith
- “He who is not satisfied with a little, is satisfied with nothing.” – Epicurus
- “I don’t look for bliss, just contentment.” – Alison Krauss
- “Make peace with your now moment. Live in this very moment and be happy with what you have. Joy enters when we stop complaining about the troubles we have and offering thanks for all the troubles we don’t have. And be aware, you have to fight through some bad days to earn the best days of your life.” – Angie karan
- “Happiness is not having what you want. It is wanting what you have.” – Rabbi Hyman Schachtel
- “You can never get enough of what you don't need, because what you don't need won't satisfy you.” – Dallin H. Oaks
- “True humility is contentment.” – Henri Frederic Amiel
- “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” – Epicurus
- “Contentment is the art of finding joy in simplicity.” – Unknown
- “Being satisfied with what we already have is a magical golden key to being alive in a full, unrestricted, and inspired way.” – Pema Chodron
- “Lack can greatly be the reasons for our conscious and unconscious steps in life. Mind what you lack, move for what is a must and be happy with what you have!” – Ernest Agyemang Yeboah
- “Contentment consists not in adding more fuel, but in taking away some fire.” – Thomas Fuller
- “Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” – Lao Tzu
- “If one's life is simple, contentment has to come. Simplicity is extremely important for happiness. Having few desires, feeling satisfied with what you have, is very vital: satisfaction with just enough food, clothing, and shelter to protect yourself from the elements.” – Dalai Lama
- “I don't look for bliss, just contentment.” – Alison Krauss
- “Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor.” – Benjamin Franklin
- “Too often in life, something happens and we blame other people for us not being happy or satisfied or fulfilled. So the point is, we all have choices, and we make the choice to accept people or situations or to not accept situations.” – Tom Brady
Too often in life, something happens and we blame other people for us not being happy or satisfied or fulfilled. So the point is, we all have choices, and we make the choice to accept people or situations or to not accept situations.” – Tom Brady
- “There’s satisfaction and contentment in direction.” – Manivannan
- “He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.” – Socrates
- “Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's a day you've had everything to do and you've done it.” – Margaret Thatcher
- “Man falls from the pursuit of the ideal of plan living and high thinking the moment he wants to multiply his daily wants. Man's happiness really lies in contentment.” – Mahatma Gandhi
- “The thoughtful soul to solitude retires.” – Omar Khayyam
- “Many people lose the small joys in the hope for the big happiness.” – Pearl S. Buck
- “It's easy to impress me. I don't need a fancy party to be happy. Just good friends, good food, and good laughs. I'm happy. I'm satisfied. I'm content.” – Maria Sharapova
- “Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” – Omar Khayyam
- “Contentment is work so engrossing that you do not know that you are working.” – Donald Hall
- “It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.” – Charles Spurgeon
- “My goal in life is to leave behind a safe and healthy world for our children. Before I leave this world, I want to be satisfied that at least I tried. I know I can make a difference, even if it might only be a small one.” – Maisie Shiell
- “You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.” – Albert Camus
- “I'm sounding like Oprah, but if you're not practicing contentment where you are now, you're not getting contentment when you get what you want.” – Tony Hale
- “I don’t have everything I want but I have everything I need. That’s contentment.” – James MacDonald
- “Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.” – Mark Twain
- “You say, ‘If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.’ You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled.” – Charles Spurgeon
You say, ‘If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.’ You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled.” – Charles Spurgeon
- “I have learned that to be with those I like is enough.” – Walt Whitman
- “A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?” – Albert Einstein
- “The superior man is satisfied and composed; the mean man is always full of distress.” – Confucius
- “When you are discontent, you always want more, more, more. Your desire can never be satisfied. But when you practice contentment, you can say to yourself, ‘Oh yes – I already have everything that I really need.'” – Dalai Lama
- “The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.” – Henry Ward Beecher
- “Do the best you can . . . enjoy the present . . . rest satisfied with what you have.” – Seneca the Younger
- “I think instead [of happiness] we should be working for contentment… an inner sense of fulfillment that’s relatively independent of external circumstances.” – Andrew Weil
- “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” – Abraham Lincoln
- “Be happy with being you. Love your flaws. Own your quirks. And know that you are just as perfect as anyone else, exactly as you are.” – Ariana Grande
- “At some point, you gotta let go, and sit still, and allow contentment to come to you.” – Elizabeth Gilbert
- “Be dissatisfied enough to improve, but satisfied enough to be happy.” – J. Harold Smith
- “The world is full of people looking for spectacular happiness while they snub contentment.” – Doug Larson
- “Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.” – Unknown
- “Life is short, and if we enjoy every moment of every day, then we will be happy no matter what happens or what changes along the way.” – Gretchen Bleiler
- “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” – Oprah Winfrey
- “Once you get rid of the idea that you must please other people before you please yourself, and you begin to follow your own instincts – only then can you be successful. You become more satisfied, and when you are, other people will tend to be satisfied by what you do.” – Raquel Welch
Once you get rid of the idea that you must please other people before you please yourself, and you begin to follow your own instincts – only then can you be successful. You become more satisfied, and when you are, other people will tend to be satisfied by what you do.” – Raquel Welch
- “To be content doesn’t mean you don’t desire more, it means you’re thankful for what you have and patient for what’s to come.” – Tony Gaskins
- “This happiness consisted of nothing else but the harmony of the few things around me with my own existence, a feeling of contentment and well-being that needed no changes and no intensification.” – Hermann Hesse
- “Rest satisfied with doing well, and leave others to talk of you as they will.” – Pythagoras
- “Contentment is a state of mind that arises from gratitude and inner peace, rather than external circumstances.” – Jeremiah Say
- “Whoever is capable of knowing when they have had enough will always be satisfied.” – Laozi
- “Because one believes in oneself, one doesn’t try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn’t need others’ approval. Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her.” – Lao Tzu
- “You are only a poor person if you are not happy with what you have.” – Debasish Mridha
- “True contentment is not having everything, but in being satisfied with everything you have.” – Oscar Wilde
- “If there is any one thing that will bring peace and contentment into the human heart, and into the family, it is to live within our means.” – Heber J. Grant
Final Thoughts on Contentment Quotes
We all know how easy is it to get caught up in the chase for bigger, better things to fill our lives with. But whilst they may take up space in our homes, they can’t do the same for our hearts.
Tue contentment lies in finding peace and satisfaction within ourselves. It’s about embracing who we are, appreciating what we have, and enjoying the here and now.
And for more inspiring quotes, be sure to check out these blog posts:
- 100 Inspirational You Are Amazing Quotes
- 77 Humble Quotes to Stay Grounded in Life
- 71 Diversity Quotes to Prioritize More Inclusion
- 9 Ways to Be Content with What You Have in Life
- 75 Relax Quotes to Reduce Your Stress and Anxiety
- Happiness VS Contentment: Which is More Important?
Finally, if you want to use these quotes to make a lasting change to your life, then check out and recite these 57 affirmations for success.
