The Conquest of Happiness

In this somewhat neglected book, Bertrand Russell writes of happiness – what it is, and how it may be achieved. First published in 1930, it was his last book before he retired to philosophy and first written as a series of lectures at Harvard University. Using examples from Shakespeare, Jane Austen and the Buddha, Russell tackles the causes of unhappiness in general and then shows how personal choices may lead to a happier life. An important third chapter gets down to the nitty-gritty of how one may achieve happiness by setting aside time to indulge one’s pleasures (food and drink), cultivating good habits such as regular exercise and meditation, doing work you enjoy – but only up to a point – and getting enough sleep; all interspersed with anecdotes from his own life.