Context

This line was written by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776).

The British Colonies were tired of being bossed around by Britain. You know the story, right? The Declaration was their manifesto of freedom, and Jefferson had the task of writing it.

Jefferson is saying that all of us are born with certain rights, one of which is going after the things that make us happy. Whether it's chicken farming, basket weaving, or stamp collecting, Jefferson thinks we should have a chance to chase our dreams.

By the way, Jefferson wasn't the first person to come up with this idea. He was inspired by the writings of a lot of other philosophers. But he certainly had a talent for coining a phrase.

Some people say the idea of the "American Dream" is based on this phrase, which totally makes sense.

Where you've heard it

This phrase is super famous, so chances are, you've heard it in popular culture. Maybe you've even heard Thomas Jefferson himself rap it during a cabinet meeting in the Broadway musical Hamilton. It's Jefferson vs. Hamilton, and Jefferson's ready to throw down.

Additional Notable References

• The movie The Pursuit of Happyness, starring Will Smith, is about how tough the American Dream can be to achieve.
• There's also a science website dedicated to the study of happiness.
• Time magazine devoted an entire issue of their magazine to the idea.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

It's hard to be pretentious when you're saying that everyone has the right to be happy. Go ahead and use this one whenever you like.