Dennis Prager recalls Helen Telushkin saying the only truly happy people are those she didn't know well. He argues happiness is rare because everyone carries real struggles, yet describes his own life as one of gratitude and blessing despite life's difficulties.
I don't know anybody who has not had sadness or problems, serious problems in their lives. I really don't know anyone. As Helen Telushkin, the mother of my dear friend from high school, Joseph Telushkin, said when I was in high school in her kitchen speaking to her son, we were talking about kids in class, in our class, we thought were happy or not. I don't know how the subject arose. And she said, "Boys, the only happy people I know are people I don't know well." I've quoted her often in speeches and in my book on happiness, Happiness Is a Serious Problem. What she meant to say is the only trouble-free people, because there are happy people. I'm a happy person. I walk around in incredible gratitude, and I'm blessed in so many ways, and I know I count my blessings.
Life, Legacy, and a Dangerous Mission in the Soviet Union | Sunday Fireside Chat
