Everyone chases after happiness, not noticing that happiness is

Hear now the piercing wisdom of Bertolt Brecht, the poet and playwright whose words burned with the fire of truth and irony. He wrote: “Everyone chases after happiness, not noticing that happiness is right at their heels.” In this simple yet profound saying lies the tragedy of human restlessness — that men and women search endlessly for happiness as though it were a distant treasure, while it walks quietly behind them, waiting to be seen. Brecht, who knew both the heights of creation and the depths of exile, understood the irony of the human heart: that we run so fast toward joy that we trample it beneath our own feet.

Bertolt Brecht, born in Germany in 1898, lived through an age of war, upheaval, and tyranny. He witnessed societies crumble in their pursuit of power and wealth, all while proclaiming they sought the good of mankind. His plays and poems often spoke of injustice, blindness, and the failure of ordinary people to see the truths before their eyes. From such a world, this quote emerges — not as gentle advice, but as a mirror held before humanity. Brecht reminds us that happiness, like a faithful companion, follows us always, but we are too distracted, too hurried, too greedy, to turn and recognize it.

To chase happiness is to misunderstand its nature. Happiness is not a quarry to be hunted, but a quiet presence to be acknowledged. It does not live in riches or fame, nor in the future that never arrives. It lives in the now — in the warmth of a friend’s voice, the breath of morning air, the taste of bread shared in peace. Yet the restless mind, ever craving more, overlooks these simple treasures. Brecht saw in modern man the same folly that the ancients warned against: the belief that joy lies “elsewhere.” But joy does not dwell in the horizon; it resides at one’s own heels, ready to follow wherever one stands still long enough to feel it.

Consider the life of Leo Tolstoy, the great Russian novelist who, after achieving fame, wealth, and admiration, fell into despair. Though the world called him successful, his heart cried out for meaning. He abandoned comfort, seeking peace in simplicity and service. It was only when he stopped chasing grand ideals of happiness that he discovered it in humility — in work, in family, in the stillness of faith. Like Brecht’s wisdom, Tolstoy’s life teaches that happiness is not ahead of us, but around us, unseen until we pause and look.

Brecht’s words also speak to a universal truth about human dissatisfaction. The more we demand from life, the less we see its gifts. We mistake happiness for pleasure, thinking it must be loud, thrilling, or grand. But true happiness is quiet. It waits in the ordinary moments that pass unnoticed: the laughter of a child, the kindness of a stranger, the serenity of honest labor. When we chase endlessly after “more,” we leave no space for joy to rest in our hearts. To slow down, to notice, to be grateful — these are the ancient keys that unlock contentment.

Yet Brecht was not a preacher of passivity. He did not say, “Do nothing.” He said, “Notice.” To live fully is not to abandon desire, but to free it from illusion. Happiness follows action guided by awareness — when one works with purpose, loves with sincerity, and accepts life’s impermanence. It is the union of motion and mindfulness, of effort and ease. The wise do not seek happiness as an end, but as the companion of a meaningful life. It is never apart from us, only unseen by eyes clouded with longing.

So, my child, heed this teaching: stop running, and you will find that joy has been walking beside you all along. Do not postpone happiness to another day, another place, another achievement. Let your awareness return to this moment — to the breath in your chest, the earth beneath your feet, the light upon your face. These are the gifts the hurried heart overlooks. Cultivate gratitude, practice stillness, and move through life as one who already possesses what he seeks.

Thus spoke Bertolt Brecht, the observer of human folly and the poet of truth: “Everyone chases after happiness, not noticing that happiness is right at their heels.” His words are a call to awaken — to cease the chase, to turn gently around, and to greet the joy that has followed us since birth. For the one who stops running finds that happiness was never lost, only ignored. In seeing it, in embracing it, one becomes not merely content, but free.