What is the original French?

il n'y a ni bonheur ni malheur en ce monde, il y a la comparaison d'un état à un autre, voilà tout. Translated from the original French by Spartan Surfers.

There is no happiness or misery, only one state compared with another.

Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo, ch. 117

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What it means

Happiness and misery are measured against each other, not on a fixed scale. That is why hardship can make ordinary days feel rich. Change your comparison and you change your day.

The source

"There is no happiness or misery, only one state compared with another." Alexandre Dumas said it in The Count of Monte Cristo, ch. 117. Translated from the original French by Spartan Surfers.

"il n'y a ni bonheur ni malheur en ce monde, il y a la comparaison d'un état à un autre, voilà tout."

Original French, The Count of Monte Cristo, ch. 117. Text read at gutenberg.org.

Who said it

Alexandre Dumas (1802–1870). French novelist of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo (1844–46), the story of a sailor wrongly imprisoned who escapes and returns.

Questions

What does "There is no happiness or misery, only one state compared with another." mean?: Happiness and misery are measured against each other, not on a fixed scale. That is why hardship can make ordinary days feel rich. Change your comparison and you change your day.
Who said "There is no happiness or misery, only one state compared with another."?: Alexandre Dumas (1802–1870). Source: The Count of Monte Cristo, ch. 117.
What is the original French?: il n'y a ni bonheur ni malheur en ce monde, il y a la comparaison d'un état à un autre, voilà tout. Translated from the original French by Spartan Surfers.
Is "There is no happiness or misery, only one state compared with another." on a shirt?: Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

Cite this line

"There is no happiness or misery, only one state compared with another." (Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo, ch. 117, translated by Spartan Surfers). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/there-is-no-happiness-or-misery-only-one