Thus happiness depends, as nature shows, less on exterior things than most suppose.

Cowper’s line asserts a moral-psychological truth: well-being is not chiefly produced by possessions, status, or other outward circumstances, but by inward dispositions and habits of mind. By appealing to “nature,” the speaker suggests this is not merely a pious sentiment but an observable fact—human contentment proves more resilient when grounded in character, conscience, and moderated desire than when tethered to changeable externals. In Cowper’s broader poetic outlook, such a claim often aligns with Christian and Stoic-inflected themes: simplicity, gratitude, and spiritual orientation offer a steadier basis for happiness than the pursuit of worldly goods.