In some of the most familiar and inspiring sentences in the English language, the American Declaration of Independence expresses the spirit of a new political age:

However vital the first two elements in this trilogy of “unalienable Rights,” it is the last that strikes the most evocative chord in the human imagination. The idea that individuals have a natural right to “the pursuit of Happiness” has proven inspirational across centuries and cultures for an obvious reason: it suggests that the happiness of the ordinary person can be the foundation of a political order. Indeed, as Jefferson explicitly proclaims, the very reason that “Governments are instituted” is precisely to “secure” this right. Thus, the state exists not to serve the interests of a divinely appointed sovereign or a privileged commercial class, but to guarantee the right of all people to lead free and satisfying lives.