What did Stendhal mean by the pursuit of happiness?

For Stendhal, the "pursuit of happiness" was a central component of his personal philosophy, which he termed "Beylisme." Rather than a singular definition, he viewed this pursuit as a delicate balance between enthusiasm and rational skepticism, and between lucidity and a willful surrender to lyric emotions.1

In practice, Stendhal’s approach to happiness involved the cultivation of a private sensibility, coupled with the development of the art of protecting and hiding that inner life from the pressures of a conformist society. His works often explore the tension between two paths to fulfillment: happiness derived from worldly ambition and achievement, and happiness found through reverie and the cultivation of one's own selfhood. Ultimately, his characters—such as Julien Sorel in The Red and the Black—often discover that worldly success is vain, and that true value lies in love, freedom, and the richness of an inner life.1