Happiness is not the absence of pain. It is the presence of meaning.

Oh my Gosh. Brought tears !!!

I don’t think either are really true. I think happiness has a divergent meaning to every person. Something you have to discover on your own.

I have chronic pain, happiness is the absence of pain. It’s barely possible to m feel happy when your tired and in pain

Neither. Happiness is an emotion and it is fleeting. It can exist in the presence or absence of either or both of these. Whether you are well, purposeful, stable or satisfied underneath that emotion makes it more likely to give rise to happiness, or create conditions for it to happen more frequently. A note - happiness is a goal is a slippery one. As it is transient (as all emotions are), you can’t grab it with two hands and say ‘I am successful because I am happy in this moment’. Being overall satisfied is a much more fixed state that is better aimed for. It gives you the platform from which to have happy moments and recover from difficult ones. Finally, meaning is what you make it. Know your values, work to live in alignment and that is the meaning of life.

I like it. Having to suffer for a goal is better than just suffering for no reason

Read anything by Yalom and you will find clarity in this.

I think you can in theory have a sense of meaning without being happy. Basically there could be meaning in life be derived from something unhappy, like revenge. I think we tend to think of "meaning" as something positive, but I feel like people could make anything their meaning, including negative things. I would also consider that a person could feel they have meaning in life but also be depressed at the same time. I also think you could be happy without necessarily having meaning, but I suppose it helps with long term happiness. So I feel like they overlap but it's more like a Venn diagram maybe.

Happiness don't need meaning, some people are happy killing others, some are happy helping. Some are happy to make others cry and some feel happiness when giving.

My dog was always happiest when we were engaged in his favorite routines. I know an awful lot of people that are at their happiest when engaged in activities that to most of us, appear to have no meaning. There seems to be more happiness with those we have a connection with, than doing something meaningful. \----------------------------------------- Kids are so happy at Disney World. Even though going there is basically meaningless. \------------------------ Weddings tend to be very happy times. And, very meaningful. So, the quote is sometimes true. But is not universally true.