Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness

"Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" is one of the most famous phrases in the United States Declaration of Independence. It expresses the essential goals of the Declaration. The United States is the only country in the world which promises "the pursuit of happiness" in one of its founding documents.

Thomas Jefferson employed the phrase to emphasize his contention that government ought to be a contract between the rulers and the ruled, for the purpose of protecting citizen's lives and property — much as John Locke had proposed earlier. Some have argued that Jefferson purposely left out the word property and instead wrote "pursuit of happiness."

Books

• Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness: Documents in American History. P. Scott Corbett and Ronald Naugle (ISBN 0072839996)

The pursuit of happiness (or Joy in Him) is not God's first command of you. It should not to be confused with his greatest command, that of loving Him, and secondly, loving your neighbor. Glorifying Him depends on these two commands. By loving God, you must obey his commands. In doing all this, you will find joy and comfort in Him. Neither the United States of America, the constitution, nor the people therein can garantee this for you.