- By Ridam Sharma
- Sat, 18 Apr 2026 06:00 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Shaheen Bhatt’s I've Never Been (Un)Happier: Mental health is still a taboo for many around us. Books like I've Never Been (Un)Happier by Shaheen Bhatt, truly make a difference. Books on mental health help to break the age-old silence, which has led to the silent suffering of millions around the world. Many quotes from Shaheen Bhatt’s I've Never Been (Un)Happier capture the reality of mental well-being and open paths of discussion around anxiety, self-doubt and much more.
15+ Quotes From Shaheen Bhatt’s I've Never Been (Un)Happier That Capture The Reality Of Mental Health
1. “In other words, you can buy happiness off the rack—but sadness is tailor-made just for you.”
2. “I remind myself that if happiness is fleeting, then so is sadness.
I remind myself that depression is the weather, and I'm a weather-worn tree.
I remind myself that even the worst storms pass.
I remind myself I've survived them all.”
3. “The assumption is that if you have a happy and comfortable life, you have no cause for, or no right to, the despair you’re feeling. We ask that a person pay a price before we allow them to hurt. In short, you can’t be depressed if there’s nothing wrong or if you have no real problems. (Ironically, people who believe this also believe that those with ‘real problems’ don’t have the time or luxury to suffer from depression.)
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4. “When you're in the throes of what feels like all-consuming pain, sleep is respite. It's your last refuge from the unrelenting guerrilla attacks carried out against you by your own mind.”
5. You can’t be depressed if there’s nothing wrong or if you have no real problems. (Ironically, people who believe this also believe that those with ‘real problems’ don’t have the time or luxury to suffer from depression.)
6. “I am who I am in the now, and I have to work my life around that. That isn’t giving up; it’s adjusting to the reality of my condition and giving myself a higher chance of living a successful life by not chasing after unrealistic goals.”
7. “Therapy is nothing but an education in yourself; an opportunity to elevate the way you live your life. I'd recommend therapy to anyone, not just someone who lives with mental illness.”
8. “We want everything to be permanent—relationships, love, beauty, youth, happiness. But the truth is, permanence is an illusion, and like everything else in life, happiness also comes and goes. Trying to be happy forever is like trying to stop water from slipping through your fingers. It’s not possible, and the only way forward is to realise and accept it.”
9. “Take off the mask. Aren’t you happy? Fine, you aren’t happy. One day you will be. And then you’ll be sad again. Accept that and stop wasting your energy chasing something that doesn’t exist. You can’t spend your life feeling bad about feeling bad.”
10. “It showed me that most of the anger and negativity around us stems from fear, and it showed me kindness is the only way forward.”
11. “The diagnosis of a person suffering from the vicious cycle of both insomnia and depression causes a classic chicken-and-egg problem. After long enough, it becomes nearly impossible to determine whether it’s insomnia that’s causing the depression or the depression that’s causing insomnia.”
12. “Depression robs you of the capacity to love. This is because a depressed person is so often incapable of seeing, giving and receiving love.”
13. “We’re taught early in life to keep our emotions hidden, and we’re especially taught that negative emotions have no place in a public domain.”
14. “depression can occur because of biological factors such as genetic predispositions, hormonal changes (including menopause, childbirth or thyroid problems) and differences in biochemistry (an imbalance of naturally occurring substances called neurotransmitters in the brain and spinal cord). In other cases, depression is caused by psychological factors, severe life stressors, substance abuse and certain medical conditions that affect the way your brain regulates your moods.”
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15. “But the truth i,s permanence is an illusion, and like everything else in life, happiness also comes and goes. Trying to be happy forever is like trying to stop water from slipping through your fingers. It’s not possible, and the only way forward is to realise and accept it.”
16. “Monsters like depression live in the dark, and the way to turn on the light is by talking about it.”
17. “Depression deprives you of a good many things on its long, winding course, and one of the first things it divests you of is your sense of self. For me, depression's finest feat was tricking me out of an identity...”
The power of these quotes lies in their ability to make people accept their mental conditions and discuss their problems with others rather than hide them. The quotes normalise the complicated processes of dealing with emotional well-being and emphasise that the process of healing does not have any limits.