The Pursuit of Happiness: A Book of Studies and Strowings. Daniel G. Brinton

Between Desire and Pleasure.—​The Wisdom of Counting the Cost.—​Precepts for the Regulation of Desire.—​V. Make all Pleasures a Part of Happiness.—​All Pleasures are Excellent.—​Error of the Contrary Doctrine.—​All Pleasures should be Brought into Relation.—​The Bond of Sense to what is Beyond Sense.—​The Reality of the Ideal.

      Strowingspp. 36−56

      PART II.

       How Far Our Happiness Depends on Nature and Fate.

      I. Our Bodily and Mental Constitutions.

      Life as a Synonym of Happiness.—​Necessity and Chance the Arbiters of Life.—​The Endowment of the Child.—​The Laws of Heredity.—​Hereditary and Congenital Traits.—​The Heritage of the Race.—​Family Jewels and Family Curses.—​The Avenue of Escape.—​Precepts for Self-training.—​Words for Women.—​Beauty and its Cult.—​Its Perils and its Power.—​The Ideal of the Beautiful.—​The Four Temperaments.—​Cheerfulness and its Physical Seat.—​Diseases that are Cheerful and those that are Not.—​What to do in an Attack of the Blues.—​Old Age and its Attainment.—​The Fallacious Bliss of Youth.—​Men who Outlive Themselves.

      Strowingspp. 57−80

      II. Our Physical Surroundings.

      Clothing and its Objects.—​The Dress of Women.—​The Value of Good Clothes.—​The Room and its Furniture.—​Our Living Rooms.—​Own Your Own House.—​Foes to Fight in House-building.—​A New Principle for Architects.—​Love of Home and Homesickness.—​How Climate Influences Cheerfulness.

      Strowingspp. 81−91

      III. Luck and its Laws.

      What Solon said about Happiness.—​Destiny in Human Affairs.—​The Calculation of Chances.—​Results of the Laws of Luck.—​They Cannot be Escaped.—​Runs of Luck and their Results.—​“A Fool for Luck,” and Why.—​The Story of Polycrates and its Moral.—​The Fetichism of Gamblers.—​Luck Does Less Than Many Think.—​The Miracles of Insurance.—​The Dark Hand of Destiny.—​Trifles Rule the World.—​We Are the Slaves of Chance.—​But What is Chance?

      Strowingspp. 92−108

      PART III.

       How Far Our Happiness Depends on Ourselves.

      I. Our Occupations—​Those of Necessity and those of Choice.

      The Washerwoman’s Ideal of Happiness.—​Labor is the True Source of Enjoyment.—​Selection of an Occupation.—​How to Find Pleasure in Its Pursuit.—​Fitness and Unfitness for Certain Occupations.—​Dangers of Diligence in Business.—​The Rare Complaint, Over-Conscientiousness.—​Making a Living a Mean Business.—​Occupations of Choice.—​Reflections on Recreations.

      Strowingspp. 109−117

      II. Money-making, Its Laws and Its Limits.

      The Universal Prayer.—​Property the Foundation of Progress.—​Wealth is Welcome to All.—​What Riches Give.—​“Effective” and “Productive” Riches.—​The Author Discovers the Fortunate Isles.—​But is Promptly Disenchanted.—​How to Get Rich.—​Another Way to Get Rich.—​New Lamps for Old.—​Riches and Happiness.

      Strowingspp. 118−127

      III. The Pleasures we may Derive from Our Senses.

      The Elect of God are those who Improve their Faculties.—​Division of the Faculties.—​The Rules of Pleasure.—​The Rule of Moderation.—​The Rule of Variety.—​Pleasures of the Muscular Sense.—​Of the Sense of Touch.—​Of the Sense of Smell.—​Of Tobacco Using.—​Eating as a Fine Art.—​The Symmetry of a Well-served Dinner.—​Gastronomic Precepts.—​Pleasures of the Sense of Hearing.—​Of the Sense of Sight.

      Strowingspp. 128−141

      IV. The Pleasures we may Derive from Our Emotions.

      Hope and Fear.—​The Folly of Philosophies.—​Hopes which are Incompatibles.—​A Most Useful Suggestion.—​Fear is a Safeguard.—​Worry and its Remedies.—​Courage and Apathy.—​Remorse and Regret.—​Anger, Hatred, and Revenge.—​The Imagination.—​The Esthetic Emotions.—​The Contemplation of Nature.—​The Arts of Pleasure.—​The Excellence of Good Taste.—​Plot-Interest.—​The Emotions of Pursuit.—​The Emotions of Risk.

      Strowingspp. 142−155

      V. The Pleasures we may Derive from Our Intellect.

      The Search for Truth.—​Advantages of Intellectual Pleasures.—​Especially to Women.—​Riddles and Puzzles.—​Reading, and Rules for It.—​My Own Plan.—​What Line to Read In.—​A Plea for Poetry.—​Thinking About Reading.—​What Meditation Means.—​Social Intellectual Pleasures.—​Writing and Letter Writing.—​Keeping a Diary.—​The Pursuit of Truth.—​What Truth Is.—​The Study of Science.

      Strowingspp. 156−168

      VI. The Satisfaction of the Religious Sentiment.

      Happiness the Only Standard of Value.—​The Strange Law of Evolution.—​The Ideal of Humanity.—​The Position of Dogmatic Religion.-The Unhappiness Produced by Religions.—​The Happiness Derived from Religions.—​The Doctrine of Faith.—​Morality and Religion.—​Erroneous Estimate of the Moral Life.—​True Religious Unity.—​The Religion of the Future.

      Strowingspp. 169−180

      VII. The Cultivation of Our Individuality.

      The Prevailing Lack of Individuality.—​Examples of Great Teachers.—​The Man of Strong Personality.—​What Individuality Is and Is Not.—​Value of Self-knowledge.—​The Pains of Diffidence.—​Dangers of Self-conceit.—​The Tyranny of Opinion.—​The Foolishness of Fixed Principles.—​Obstinate Asseveration.—​Giving and Taking Advice.—​Decision of Character.—​Importance of Reserve.—​Sincerity is Essential.—​Veracity at Least to Oneself.—​Seek Many-sidedness of Character.

      Strowingspp. 181−193

      PART IV.

       How Far Our Happiness Depends on Others.

      I. What Others Give Us: Safety, Liberty, Education.

      Man’s Dependence on Society for his Safety.—​Security the Aim of Government.—​Two Theories of Government.—​Justice as the Aim of Government.—​Freedom the Aim of Law.—​Another Theory of Government.—​Knowledge the Brother of Liberty.—​Education a Necessity.—​Defective Education of Women.—​What it Should Be.—​Study Should Be Made a Pleasure.—​Man’s Dependence on Others.

      Strowingspp.