Who said “The secret of being miserable is to have leisure to bother about whether you are happy…”?

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George Bernard Shaw. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceA Treatise on Parents and Children (1910)

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“The secret of being miserable is to have leisure to bother about whether you are happy or not. The cure for it is occupation.”
— George Bernard Shaw
VerifiedA Treatise on Parents and Children (1910) · evidenceUnhappiness
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Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: A Treatise on Parents and Children (1910).

APA

Shaw, G. B. (n.d.). The secret of being miserable is to have leisure to bother about whether you are happy or not. The cure for it is occupation. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/41032-the-secret-of-being-miserable-is-to-have/

MLA

Shaw, George Bernard. “The secret of being miserable is to have leisure to bother about whether you are happy or not. The cure for it is occupation.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/41032-the-secret-of-being-miserable-is-to-have/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Shaw, George Bernard. “The secret of being miserable is to have leisure to bother about whether you are happy or not. The cure for it is occupation.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/41032-the-secret-of-being-miserable-is-to-have/.

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