［美］米爾德裏德.克拉姆/Mildred Cram
快樂就像一枚鵝卵石突然掉入池塘中，激起一圈又一圈的漣漪，並不斷向外圍擴散。正如史蒂文森說的，快樂是一種責任。快樂沒有確切的定義。快樂的理由成千上萬，而關鍵並不在於財富或健康。因為我們發現，乞丐、殘疾人和所謂的失敗者也能過得無比快樂。快樂會有一種意想不到的收獲，而保持快樂的心境是一種成就，是靈魂和性格的升華。事實上，追求快樂並非自私的表現，而是對自己和他人的一種責任。鬱悶就像一種傳染病，人們往往對鬱悶的人退避三舍。他們很快也會感到孤獨、痛苦和難過。但是，有一種看似簡單的治療方法，雖然乍看似乎有些荒謬，如果你覺得不快樂，就假裝快樂吧！這個方法很管用，不久你會發現，自己會吸引他人，而不是令人反感。你擁有一個以自我為中心的、日趨寬廣的友好交際圈。這會是多麽有益的事。於是，假裝的快樂就成為事實。你掌握了平和心境的秘訣，並且，在愉悅他人的過程中，自己也變的忘乎所以。一旦意識到，保持快樂的心境是一種責任，並形成了習慣，它就能開啟秘密花園的大門，那裏雲集著無數滿懷感激的朋友。
Happiness is like a pebble dropped into a pool to set in motion an everwidening circle of ripples.As Stevenson has said，being happy is a duty.There is no exact definition of the word—happiness.Happy people are happy for all sorts of reasons.The key is not wealth or physical well-being，since we find beggars，invalids and so-called failures，who are extremely happy.Being happy is a sort of unexpected dividend.But staying happy is an accomplishment，a triumph of soul and character.It is not selfish to strive for it.It is，indeed，a duty to us and others.Being unhappy is like an infectious disease；it causes people to shrink away from the sufferer.He soon finds himself alone，miserable and embittered.There is，however，a cure so simple as to seem，at first glance，ridiculous：If you don’t feel happy，pretend to be！It works.Before long you will find that instead of repelling people，you attract them.You discover how deeply rewarding it is to be the center of wider and wider circles of good will.Then the make-believe becomes a reality.You possess the secret of peace of mind，and can forget yourself in being of service to others.Being happy，once it is realized as a duty and established as a habit，opens doors into unimaginable gardens thronged with grateful friends.