“Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance."
["If the dispositions of the parties are ever so well known to each other or ever so similar beforehand, it does not advance their felicity in the least. They always continue to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have their share of vexation; and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life.”]
-- Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
Though this quote is more specifically about happiness in marriage, I think it still holds weight as a general lesson on happiness. While i do not agree with the premise, it is interesting to see how some people (particularly women) viewed the possible trajectory of their lives. Marriage was the most important decision a woman in the 1800s could make. Regardless, there were individuals who believed the possibility of happiness in said marriage was entirely a matter of chance.