From... http://www.pbs.org/now/society/happiness.html
On the Pursuit of Happiness
Take the announcement made by Samuel Johnson, echoing Ecclesiastes, that no one could surely wish to be born, who had a chance to contemplate beforehand all the miseries that would await him in life. Today, in many societies, such a claim would be met with uncomprehending stares. People might disagree as fiercely as ever about what happiness is and about what factors make it more or less likely, but far fewer disagree about whether it is at least possible. — Sissela Bok