We all look for happiness, but without knowing where to find it: like drunkards who look for their house, knowing dimly that they have one.
Nous cherchons tous le bonheur, mais sans savoir où, comme les ivrognes qui cherchent leur maison, sachant confusément qu'ils en ont une.
Original text (French)
Notes from Wikiquote
Notebooks (c.1735-c.1750) | A variation on this remark can be found in the same notebook: Men who look for happiness are like drunkards who cannot find their house but know that they have one [Les hommes qui cherchent le bonheur sont comme des ivrognes qui ne peuvent trouver leur maison, mais qui savent qu'ils en ont une].