It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly.
Bertrand RussellRead
The service we render to others is really the rent we pay for our room on this earth. It is obvious that man is himself a traveler; that the purpose of this world is not 'to have and to hold' but "to give and serve."
Interpretation
What this quote means
Our contributions to others' lives are essential for our existence.
Wilfred Grenfell's quote highlights the importance of service and selflessness in our lives. It suggests that our time on Earth is meaningful when we focus on giving to others rather than merely accumulating wealth or possessions, underscoring the transient nature of life and the importance of fostering connections through acts of kindness and service.
Themes
ServiceGivingSelflessnessPurposeLifeKindness
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a community service event to inspire participants.
Similar quotes
Everything is just now. Your existence is just now. Just timeless Now. All the rest is just a dream due to conditioning and memory.
MoojiRead
About 80 percent of the stuff I live with is old. I like letting things take on the character they’re meant to have by really being used. … when you own things that have the imperfections they deserve, that they’ve earned from a well-lived life, it frees you from feeling as though they’re untouchable.
Nate BerkusRead
All things are in flux; the flux is subject to a unifying measure or rational principle. This principle (logos, the hidden harmony behind all change) bound opposites together in a unified tension, which is like that of a lyre, where a stable harmonious sound emerges from the tension of the opposing forces that arise from the bow bound together by the string.
HeraclitusRead
The majority never has right on its side. Never, I say! That is one of these social lies against which an independent, intelligent men must wage war. Who is it that constitute the majority of the population in a country? Is it the clever folk, or the stupid? I don't imagine you will dispute the fact that at present the stupid people are in an absolutely overwhelming majority all the world over.
Henrik IbsenRead
You can put anything into words, except your own life.
Max FrischRead