What does the phrase "pursuit of happiness" mean?

Question

English is my second language, and I just came across it when I was talking to my friend about the themes of a book I was reading for class. He said that one of the themes was the pursuit of happiness, but when I asked him what it meant, he said he could not explain it.

Answer 1

In the original context of our founding fathers, it actually means the right to own slaves. However, most people erroneously interpret it as the right to "be happy," and that's probably the most common perception of the phrase today.

Answer 2

Pursuit is to look for what you think would make you happy. Often people believe something is going to make them happy, and after they finally own, or have, or reach someone or something, and then discover what they worked so hard to get, doesn't make them happy after all. As they continue to grow and learn, they become aware that they must look elsewhere. Usually that ends by people realizing that home and family is more important than being a star or having a lot of money. Character (honesty, kindness) is many times the answer.

Answer 3

I'll take a stab here and say that the complete phrase is: in pursuit of happiness and is generally associated with ones search for being satisfied in what one does in life. So if you are an inexperienced musician, your pursuit of happiness would either be acquiring certain qualities to be comfortable with the music you play or being a successful musician if that is what you want to be.

Answer 4

It is one of the 3 inalienable rights written into our Constitution by our Founding Fathers: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. It was written in to ensure that all Americans had rights not granted to our settlers by King George who held power over us until the American Revolution.

While some think is was a "slave" issue, it was merely a method of stating that Americans have the freedom to persue freedom in a "classless" society: That you didn't have to be born in a "rich" or "aristocrat" level to be that person. The Constitution did not differ from the rights of any American, so the "Pursuit of happiness" also did not differenciate between slave and other Americans, only that ALL AMERICANS have these rights.

Each person has the right and privilege to go up (or down) the ladder based on their own efforts, not the birth right of the family. To put it simply, you have the Constitutional right to succeed as much as you can based on your abilities and education, and not limited by your "class".

Answer 5

It's a phrase from the Declaration of Independence, which the courts have interpreted to mean "The right to pursue any lawful business or vocation, in any manner not inconsistent with the equal rights of others, which may increase their prosperity or develop their faculties, so as to give them their highest enjoyment." 111 U.S. 746, 757.

Because the right is not set forth in the Constitution, it is not enforceable by the courts. However, the right to the pursuit of happiness is often raised in arguments against government regulations, because its mention in the Declaration of Independence gives it a degree of forcefulness.

As a more general term, it could mean finding and following your bliss.

Answer 6

The Bible has had it right for millenniums. “A live dog is better off than a dead lion. For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they anymore have wages, because the remembrance of them has been forgotten.” (Ecclesiastes 9:4, 5) Does that mean there is absolutely no hope for the dead? Jesus Christ preach about resurrection to life on a restored paradise earth. His Jewish follower Martha, whose brother, Lazarus, had just died, believed in the resurrection, for she said of Lazarus: “I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.” (John 11:24) To this, Jesus answered: “I am the resurrection and the life. He that exercises faith in me, even though he dies, will come to life; and everyone that is living and exercises faith in me will never die at all. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25, 26) Earlier, he had said: “Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.” John 5:28, 29; Luke 23:43. As you can see there will be a resurrection of both the righteous. and the unrighteous. Please do further research in you Bible to get a better understanding.

Answer 7

Koishi K,the state or quality of being content is how the dictionary defines happiness.We all have different interest in life,so we all are making our own personal pursuits to make us content with life.We seem all of us to be in the "pursuit of happiness" to fullfill our own personal needs.

Answer 8

pursuit = run after something

Pursuit of happiness means that you are trying to get something that will make you happy.

Happiness is ongoing, and the road there is beautiful to experience.

Good luck on your pursuit of happiness

Answer 9

"Pursuit of happiness" means an active search for happiness.

Someone in pursuit of happiness is seriously trying to find something or someone that/who makes him happy.

That's about it...

Answer 10

Persuit happiness means that you go after a dream you want to follow or run towards something you want.to get what you want not to give up to fight for what you believe it is just a feeling you want.