What is the secret of happiness?

In 1955, Billy Graham wrote a book on “The Greatest Sermon Ever Preached.” As he flipped through the pages of his Bible, he turned to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), a teaching that Biblical scholars often break into three parts: an introduction (which includes the Beatitudes), the main body (which gives explanations of righteous living), and a conclusion (which invites listeners to make a decision).

Billy Graham’s attention was fully captured as he examined the Beatitudes. Each one was simply stated yet beautifully complex in its meaning, leading to an important question: Why did Jesus call out these eight attributes? In the preface of The Secret to Happiness, Billy Graham remarked, “The more I read them, meditated on them, and studied them, the more I realized that Christ was giving a formula for personal happiness that applied to anyone, no matter what his race, geographical situation, age, or circumstance!”

In his book, Graham takes a deep dive into each Beatitude and explains how humanity is looking for happiness in all the wrong places. He opens the book with a chapter on “The Search for Happiness.” In it, he shares this anecdote:

“A man went to see a psychiatrist. He said, ‘Doctor, I am lonely, despondent, and miserable. Can you help me?’ The psychiatrist suggested he go to a circus and see a famous clown who was said to make even the most despondent laugh with merriment. His patient said, ‘I am that clown.’”

Through the book’s ten chapters, each Beatitude takes the stage and reveals a characteristic that will help readers find happiness in spite of hunger, mourning, persecution, and through the pursuit of meekness, mercy, and peacemaking. The book doesn’t encourage readers to ignore or minimize the world’s problems but instructs readers in righteous living and how to manage the concerns they face.

Learn more about the Beatitudes—a timeless message about the pursuit of contentment—through Billy Graham’s book The Secret of Happiness. Copies are available in the Ruth’s Attic bookstore at the Billy Graham Library. Admission to the Library is always free, and the bookstore offers hundreds of discipleship books to encourage your spiritual growth.

The Ruth’s Attic bookstore is open Monday-Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Shipping is available by contacting the bookstore team at RALibrary@bgea.org or by calling the Library at 704-401-3200.