Sam Harris Quotes

Morality and values depend on the existence of conscious minds - and specifically on the fact that such minds can experience various forms of well-being and suffering in this universe.

There is no wealth but life.

There is no doubt that there is a huge difference between human and nonhuman animals. But what we are overlooking is the fact that nonhuman animals are conscious beings, that they can suffer.

This experience has also humbled me by giving me a true understanding of what millions of others face each day in their own fight against cancer.

There are a lot of obstacles in the way of our understanding animal intelligence - not the least being that we can't even agree whether nonhuman species are conscious. We accept that chimps and dolphins experience awareness; we like to think dogs and cats do. But what about mice and newts? What about a fly? Is anything going on there at all?

If you have the feeling of choice, if you feel free, you will be better off. And when I say better off I mean that if people feel they have control over their lives, they call in for fewer sick days from work. They have a lesser probability of having a heart attack or stroke. They live longer. They're happier.

That country is the richest which nourishes the greatest number of noble and happy human beings.

Instead of asking 'How much damage will the work in question bring about?' why not ask 'How much good? How much joy?'

Like the experience of warfare, the endurance of grave or terminal illness involves long periods of tedium and anxiety, punctuated by briefer interludes of stark terror and pain.

Human well-being is not a random phenomenon. It depends on many factors - ranging from genetics and neurobiology to sociology and economics. But, clearly, there are scientific truths to be known about how we can flourish in this world. Wherever we can have an impact on the well-being of others, questions of morality apply.

Many philosophers say it's impossible to explain our conscious experience in scientific, biological terms at all. But that's not exactly true. Scientists have explained why we have certain experiences and not others. It's just that they haven't explained the special features of consciousness that philosophers care about.

I'm trying to broaden the scope of positive psychology well beyond the smiley face. Happiness is just one-fifth of what human beings choose to do.

Your home should be about enriching the daily experience.

I don't care how much money you have in the world. It's not about that. It's all about time.

If we could have but one generation of properly born, trained, educated and healthy children, a thousand other problems of government would vanish.

Health is worth more than learning

Health is not valued till sickness comes

Without health life is not life; it is only a state of languor and suffering an image of death.

If you don’t put positive things in the city’s open spaces, they will be filled by negative things.

I don't like to see anyone suffer, and there's a very, very fine line between being healthy and working and totally down and out.

At the end of the day, health above all.

Health is a precious gift. You realise more and more as you get older just how precious a gift it is.

You only recognize how good something is if you've been through the bad.

When people are healthy, their families, communities and countries thrive.

Being injured helps you appreciate your health in general.