Back when I was in college, I knew a guy who always had a snack and a smile to share with everyone. His inspiring approach to life was a welcome reprieve from the otherwise stressful series of exams and papers that make up the college experience. If I had to describe it, it would sound like some of the cheer quotes I’ve compiled below.
This guy seemed preternaturally cheery, so much so that it could be overwhelming at times. For people who struggle with feeling upbeat for even seconds at a time, watching someone dance through life can be pretty annoying. And let’s face it — most college students aren’t optimistic most of the time. After all, they’re already dreading the financial situation they’ll be in when they graduate.
Still, I admire people who see the world in the best possible light. Hopefully, with some training, I’ll be able to do it too. In the meantime, I’ll just read these quotes.
Perseverance Is Key: Cheer Quotes About Smiling Through Difficult Circumstances
#1. “‘Cheer up everyone,’ he said, a new brightness to his voice. ‘Since we’re all going to die horribly anyway, what’s there to be worried about?’” ― Derek Landy
#2. “I must die. Must I then die lamenting? I must be put in chains. Must I then also lament? I must go into exile. Does any man then hinder me from going with smiles and cheerfulness and contentment?” ― Epictetus
#3. “With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.” ― Max Ehrmann
#4. “To be cheerful when others are in despair, to keep the faith when others falter, to be true even when we feel forsaken — all of these are deeply desired outcomes during the deliberate, divine tutorials which God gives to us — because He loves us. These learning experiences must not be misread as divine indifference. Instead, such tutorials are a part of the divine unfolding.” ― Neal A. Maxwell
#5. “The principles of living greatly include the capacity to face trouble with courage, disappointment with cheerfulness, and trial with humility. ” ― Thomas S. Monson
#6. “Be of good cheer. Do not think of today’s failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will find a joy in overcoming obstacles. Remember — no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost.” ― Helen Keller
#7. “[Promise Yourself]
To forget the mistakes of the past
and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times
and give every living creature you meet a smile.” — Christian D. Larson
Misery Loves Company: Understanding Cheer Quotes for People Who Can’t Muster Any
#8. “Depression is the most unpleasant thing I have ever experienced… It is that absence of being able to envisage that you will ever be cheerful again. The absence of hope. That very deadened feeling, which is so very different from feeling sad. Sad hurts, but it’s a healthy feeling. It is a necessary thing to feel. Depression is very different.” ― J.K. Rowling
#9. “The unhappy person resents it when you try to cheer him up because that means he has to stop dwelling on himself and start paying attention to the universe. Unhappiness is the ultimate form of self-indulgence. When you’re unhappy, you get to pay a lot of attention to yourself. You get to take yourself oh so very seriously.” ― Tom Robbins
#10. “I can tell you that ‘Just cheer up’ is almost universally looked at as the most unhelpful depression cure ever. It’s pretty much the equivalent of telling someone who just had their legs amputated to ‘just walk it off.’” ― Jenny Lawson
#11. “I can’t cheer up — I don’t want to cheer up. It’s nicer to be miserable!” ― L.M. Montgomery
#12. “If you can’t be cheerful, be as cheerful as you can.” ― L.M Montgomery
It’s the Little Things: Cheer Quotes About the Things That Keep Us Going
#13. “The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up.” ― Mark Twain
#14. “The unselfish effort to bring cheer to others will be the beginning of a happier life for ourselves.” ― Hellen Keller
#15. “So often, a visit to a bookshop has cheered me and reminded me that there are good things in the world.” ― Vincent van Gogh
#16. “A poet is a nightingale who sits in darkness and sings to cheer its own solitude with sweet sounds.” ― Percy Bysshe Shelley
#17. “The banjo is such a happy instrument — you can’t play a sad song on the banjo — it always comes out so cheerful.” ― Steve Martin
#18. “It’s sad if people think that’s (homemaking) a dull existence, [but] you can’t just buy an apartment and furnish it and walk away. It’s the flowers you choose, the music you play, the smile you have waiting. I want it to be gay and cheerful — a haven in this troubled world.” ― Audrey Hepburn
A Rare Gift: Wise and Optimistic Cheer Quotes
#19. “A person must have one or the other. Either a cheerful disposition by nature or a disposition made cheerful by art and knowledge.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche
#20. “Cheerfulness and contentment are great beautifiers and are famous preservers of good looks.” ― Charles Dickens
#21. “I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.” ― Martha Washington
#22. “He never loses patience, never doubts or complains, but always hopes and works and waits so cheerfully that one is ashamed to do otherwise before him.” ― Louisa May Alcott
#23. “Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground. Let their spirit ignite a fire within you to leave this world better than when you found it…” ― Wilferd Peterson
#24. “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien
#25. “The most certain sign of wisdom is cheerfulness.” ― Michel de Montaigne
#26. “Nobody owns anything, but everyone is rich — for what greater wealth can there be than cheerfulness, peace of mind, and freedom from anxiety?” ― Thomas More
To Conclude
Sometimes, advising someone to put on a brave face can be the exact opposite of what they need. After all, some people simply can’t be cheery when they’re going through a difficult time. Still, if you’re able to bring a smile to their face for even a moment, that’s talent money can’t buy!
Ultimately, these cheer quotes illustrate the kind of philosophy I’ve always admired. However, I’m also aware that not everyone can apply it to their own lives. Still, perhaps reading about it will help you become a more optimistic person than you were before.
