happy mean

happy mean

A general rule of moderation, avoiding both extreme excess and extreme deficiency. Some people will argue ardently against ever consuming alcohol, but to me, as long as you follow the happy mean, you'll be just fine. There are pros and cons to both approaches, so why don't we aim for a happy mean that incorporates elements of both?
See also: happy, mean
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

the happy/golden ˈmean

(approving) a course of action that is not extreme: To be honest, I don’t like either of the proposals. What we really need is a golden mean between the two.
See also: golden, happy, mean
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • follow the golden mean
  • extreme
  • silly in the extreme
  • boring in the extreme
  • boring, silly, etc. in the extreme
  • desperate
  • desperate diseases must have desperate remedies
  • remedy
  • road rage
  • drastic
References in classic literature
Imagine, I ought to have said to him, that you have the same system as the old peasant has, that you have found means of making your laborers take an interest in the success of the work, and have found the happy mean in the way of improvements which they will admit, and you will, without exhausting the soil, get twice or three times the yield you got before.
IT WAS a thing hardly to be expected that in a popular revolution the minds of men should stop at that happy mean which marks the salutary boundary between POWER and PRIVILEGE, and combines the energy of government with the security of private rights.
So this Machiavellian captain of infantry cast about him for some happy means or stratagem by which he could gently and gradually bring the Misses Osborne to a knowledge of their brother's secret.
Several Philippine administrations have come short trying to find the happy mean between a good market price for our farmers and a stable price for the staple commodity for the populace.
Joyce Appleby argues that consumption was a means to present a "respectable family life" based on comfort as "the happy mean between biting necessity and indulgent luxury." (22) By the antebellum period, consumption could be used to improve social standing.
It is all a mindset of what being financially comfortable and happy means to certain people.
To keep that colony happy means eating gut-friendly foods, exercising, getting your hands muddy (or on a dog), and lowering stress.
Individuals suffering from cherophobia gave four reasons: happiness is a waste of time and effort, being happy means something bad will happen shortly after, happiness makes you a bad person, and it is unfair to show happiness while others are suffering.
Being happy means at some point you decided to take control of your life.
The endeavor is to take up 100 Schools and make them and the surrounding villages' happy means impacting over 100,000 people.
"Doing well on the pitch and doing your bit to send our fans home happy means a lot, to be honest.
Setting examples in your own diet and activity behavior can be the most effective way to send the message to your kids: Being healthy and happy means living healthy through eating well and staying active!
Keeping them happy means actually the strengthening of the moorings of national solidarity, cohesion and unity.
Keeping customers happy means communicating in a way that resonates with them.
Loving your children and making them happy means getting on with people, including parents, step-parents and grandparents.' see: marisapeer.com Dan says: 'It's so much better this way.