The original Bachelorette Trista Sutter’s new book Happily Ever After: The Life-Changing Power of a Grateful Heart is an important look at “the benefits of gratitude,” Tom Bergeron, the host of Dancing with the Stars tells me. It’s full of “tips, stories, and research” on how to teach our children “to live their lives with a grateful heart,” says Tori Spelling. What did I think of it? Why would I tell you what I think, when it’s much, much easier to quote other people who are far more famous than I am.
Sutter’s book is a testament to the power of a good quote book; there are, by my count, 50 quotes from artists, musicians, philosophers and do-gooders scattered within it. That’s not including the 14 additional quotes used to set the tone at the beginning of each chapter. Out of 254 pages, Sutter uses 64 quotes – which is about a quote every four pages. Sutter uses a quote in her Acknowledgements. She uses a quote in the index. This proliferation of quotes is purposeful, Sutter says:
My intent here is to share not only the lessons I’ve learned, but also those of my friends and family, those of strangers, and even teachings of some of the world’s most enlightened authors, philosophers, poets, and educators. I will never claim to be an expert, but you won’t have to take it from only me; there is plenty of research out there to back up the benefits of a grateful heart.
But which quote is the best? Because it would be painful for you, dear reader, to have to go through all of them, I’ve picked the 25 best quotes Trista Sutter used in Happily Ever After in an attempt to beef up the substance of her claims in this “personal growth/inspiration” book, ranked from most ridiculous citations to most valid:
25. Like the children’s playground song says, “First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage,” we believed that nature would automatically take over after we married and we could throw caution to the wind.
In order to talk about the difficulty she and her husband had conceiving, Sutter decides to invoke a children’s nursery rhyme. An inappropriate, if topical reference.
24. If you’ve ever been on an airplane, you’ve heard the safety announcements: “In the unlikely event of pressure loss, oxygen masks will appear overhead. If you are seated next to a small child or someone needing assistance, secure your own mask first before assisting them.”
Quoting the disembodied voice that speaks to those of us lucky enough to have experienced the joy of traveling by air = Priceless.
23. Do not be fooled. Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. – Anonymous
ANONYMOUS?
22. As Iyanla Vanzant, an inspirational speaker, has said, “Joy is not what happens to you; it is what comes through you when you are conscious of the blessing you are.”
Translation: “As a sub-par Oprah wannabe has said…”
21. God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say thank you? – William Ward
Good grief.
20. In the words of Dr. Seuss: “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened” – and that’s exactly what I do.
Great humble brag.
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