Happiness and unhappi-ness are sisters, even twins that grow…

Happiness and unhappi-ness are sisters, even twins that grow together. So all we get when we try to minimize unhappiness is the minimization of happiness 25 well. Both remain stunted. For one to grow, we must let the other thrive too.

— from The Heart in the Cockpit (Emotion/Awe/Anxiety/Regret/Empathy) · Life Worth Living: a Guide to What Mattesr Most by Miroslav Volf, Matthew Croasmun, and Ry

In the book

Negative emotions are not malfunctions; they are signals about your environment, telling you something needs to change. Happiness and unhappiness, in the end, are twins that grow together — try to shrink the one and you shrink the other. So I will tell you what I have found to be true: nothing that feels bad is ever the last step. — The Heart in the Cockpit (Emotion/Awe/Anxiety/Regret/Empathy)

Happy lives are not stress-free, and a stress-free life would not, in fact, be a happy one. Happiness and unhappiness are twins that grow together — try to minimize the one and you stunt the other; for joy to grow tall, you have to let its sister live too. And don't let your troubles become a standing excuse: nobody is forcing you to take life so grimly that you can't relax even when things are hard. — Enjoy the Flight (Living/Balance/Happiness/Passion)

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