“The way to happiness lies neither in protection from difficulty nor in escape from reality”

Simplified Meaning:

True happiness comes not from avoiding problems or pretending they don't exist. It's about facing challenges and dealing with them honestly. Think of someone who wants to get fit. They can't achieve this by sitting on the couch and dreaming about being in shape. Instead, they have to work out, which can be hard and uncomfortable. By dealing with the effort, they become stronger and healthier. In life, facing our troubles and working through them helps us grow and become happier. If we hide from our problems or try to run away from them, we never learn or improve. For example, if a student avoids studying because it's tough, they won't do well in their exams and this will cause more stress in the future. Instead, facing the difficulty of studying helps them understand the material and succeed. So, dealing with reality and its hardships directly leads to genuine happiness and fulfillment.