Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.

The saying reduces “happiness” to a balanced triad: purposeful activity (“something to do”), human attachment (“something to love”), and a forward-looking orientation (“something to hope for”). Read this way, it argues that well-being is not a single pleasure or possession but a structure of life: work or vocation that engages the faculties, affection that binds one to others, and hope that projects meaning into the future. The formulation is often treated as a moral commonplace of the early modern essay tradition—practical, moderate, and socially grounded—rather than a purely philosophical definition of happiness.

1) “The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.”
2) “Three essentials to happiness: something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for.”