With all the challenges, grief and misfortune during the pandemic, who couldn't use a little more cheer in their lives? Learn some expressions in German!
Choose happy — some say it's an active, daily decision.Image: picture alliance/dpa/M. Schutt
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'You forge your own happiness': 11 German maxims
The German language is rich in idioms about happiness, joy and good fortune. Try your luck by clicking through the gallery.
Image: Inderlied/Kirchner-Media/picture alliance
Jeder ist seines Glückes Schmied
Literally, "Jeder ist seines Glückes Schmied" means that you are the blacksmith of your happiness and good fortune. You forge your own destiny; you are the architect of your own fortune.
Image: Inderlied/Kirchner-Media/picture alliance
Glücklich ist, wer vergisst, was nicht mehr zu ändern ist
It's both rhyme and wisdom all in one: "Glücklich ist, wer vergisst, was nicht mehr zu ändern ist" means that people can be happy when they forget about what they can't change anymore, when they put something out of their minds, forget about the past and move on. A perfect recipe for happiness!
Image: picture alliance/Design Pics/D. Pitcher
Glück ist das Einzige, das sich verdoppelt, wenn man es teilt
"Happiness is the only thing that doubles when you share it." Attributed to Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965), a French-German theologian, humanitarian, philosopher and physician, it punctuates just how much human beings are social creatures.
Image: picture-alliance/F. May
Geteilte Freude ist doppelte Freude
A similar notion is found in the expression "geteilte Freude ist doppelte Freude." "Freude" is another German word for happiness, but also means joy or pleasure, such as: "Es war mir eine Freude" (it was my pleasure). Here, the saying goes — like above — that "shared joy is twice the joy."
Image: picture-alliance/PhotoAlto/S. Olsson
Ein Glückspilz sein
Literally, it means "to be a lucky mushroom," but implies someone who has a lot of luck in life. Oddly, even though they are classified as poisonous, the image associated with a "Glückspilz" is the fly agaric mushroom. The toadstool is also known for its hallucinogenic properties. The implication is that luck, like mushrooms, can shoot up unexpectedly, overnight. They are considered lucky charms.
Image: Fotolia/Ideen
Mehr Glück als Verstand
Literally, "more luck than smarts" is what this German expression says, but means that even if you strain your brain, much comes down to luck. It also shows how "luck" and "happiness" go hand in hand. "Glück haben" means to be lucky; "glücklich sein" means to be happy. Lucky charms include horseshoes (pointing up, so one's luck doesn't run out), ladybugs and the four-leaf clover.
Image: Fotolia/K.-U. Häßler
Wenn man glücklich ist, soll man nicht noch glücklicher sein wollen
"If you are happy, you shouldn't wish to be even happier." It's actually a quotation by German writer Theodor Fontane (1819-1898). In other words, be grateful for what you have and happiness could very well manifest itself.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/T. Hase
Glück und Glas, wie leicht bricht das
Just how fleeting both happiness and luck can be is found in this expression, which says that they, like glass, can "break" easily. What better way to train the ability to roll with the punches than meditation? If we learn that happiness and luck can be temporary and disappear at any time, we can likewise trust in the knowledge that they will reappear. We just gotta have faith.
Image: ASA/picture alliance
Des einen Glück ist des anderen Leid
What might mean happiness for one person, could mean utter agony and woe for another. In other words, each of us defines happiness differently.
Image: picture-alliance/PYMCA/Photoshot/L. Chen
Trautes Heim, Glück allein
A cozy house, familiar surroundings translate into utter happiness, as this saying in German goes. In English, it's simple: home sweet home!
Image: Fotolia/W. Heiber Fotostudio
Ein schönes Ding bedeutet ewige Freude
"A beautiful thing means eternal joy" is what this expression says. That appreciating beauty can lead to happiness is also found in a quote by US writer Pearl S. Buck, who in 1938 was the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature: "Many people lose the small joys in the hope for the big happiness." In other words, happiness may be right in front of your eyes.
Image: Jens Büttner/dpa/picture alliance
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Ahead of International Day of Happiness on March 20, Meet the Germans presents some sayings about happiness and good fortune.
And it certainly doesn't come too soon, since the COVID-19 crisis has been one of the most challenging for all of us. Every day since the pandemic began, we have reshaped how we live, love, survive, work, care for our loved ones and raise our children. We have redefined what enjoying life and happiness mean. We all have to work it out for ourselves, but perhaps with a little help from our friends.
The German language offers up many linguistic options about how you can shape your future. But the idioms can be a little tricky. "Glück," for instance, can refer to happiness, but also luck. "Glücklich sein" means to be happy; "Glück haben" is to be lucky. So happiness and luck basically share the same root, and shows to some extent that happiness and luck can go hand in hand.
Then there's the word "Freude," which can also mean happiness, and joy, as well as pleasure, as in "it was my pleasure."
Click through the picture gallery to see a tribute to the German language and its expressions about happiness. We've sprinkled in a few with "luck" and "joy" for you to see the difference. It might just prompt you to ask yourself: Am I happy? How can I be content?
