by Richard Kinnier & Jerry Kernes & others
From the inside sleeve -
Since ancient times people have questioned the meaning of life. It has been a source of
inspiration and motivation, frustration and puzzlement. Some have dedicated their lives
to seeking an answer, others have dismissed it as an impossible quest. Some look inwards,
believing that the meaning of life is to seek happiness, self-fulfilment or wisdom. Others
look beyond themselves, hoping to contribute to society and help others. Some believe life
is about serving God, others think it is just a joke. A few conclude that life has no meaning
at all. Profound and thought-provoking, light-hearted and witty, here are hundreds of
quotations from eminent people, expressing their thoughts on the eternal question.
INTRODUCTION
What is the meaning of life? The question has been asked millions of times for thousands of years. It is a question that most of us first ask as teenagers. It tends to resurface at the most reflective moments of our lives. Its contemplation is often preceded by tragic events or personal crises. Death is often nearby - usually the death of loved ones or the too-real contemplation of our own deaths. Our beliefs about or disbelief in God are inevitably central to the question. Because life is short, the question is somewhat urgent. Our response to it will determine the principles by which we live, as well as our goals and priorities in life. It will influence what, if anything, we are willing to fight or even die for.
What is the meaning of life? This book might not contain THE ANSWER, but it offers several hundred responses to the question. The main purpose of the book is to provide you, the reader, with some wise, stimulating, or at least interesting perspectives on why we are here. Such words of wisdom may help you in your own search for meaning.
The quotations and the chapter headings were derived from a study we conducted. The original article that describes the study is entitled,What Eminent People Have Said About The Meaning Of Life.It was published in the Journal of Humanistic Psychology (Vol. 43, No 1, Winter 2003). In that study we first conducted an extensive search for quotes on the meaning of life, consulting numerous books and articles in the process (see Acknowledgements, p. 223). We chose to include only quotes from "eminent" people, or those who are or were well-respected by their peers or the general population - not flashy or faddish "celebrities". Admittedly, even though we employed procedures designed to exclude superficial celebrities (consultation with experts in their respective fields and our own consensus), the selection inevitably is still subjective. Readers, of course, can make their own judgement on who they respect and read the quotes selectively. We chose the population of eminent people, not because they are most likely to have "the answers" but because they are widely respected and their ideas may have special merit. We believe that most people would be more interested in what Martin Luther King Jr said on the subject than what jerry Springer or Paris Hilton had to say.
In the study we used a methodology known as content analysis to identify the major themes of the quotes. The themes we found became the chapter headings in this book. It should be noted that several people are quoted more than once under different themes - people often say different things about the meaning of life at different times in their lives. Thus, do not assume that one quote in this book represents everything the person had to say about the meaning of life. Take the example of the French Existentialist, Jean Paul Sartre. He is probably the most famous atheist of the twentieth century. His quotes in this book reflect his belief that life is meaningless and godless. Yet it has been alleged that on his deathbed he proclaimed his belief in God. King Solomon of the Bible is another example. During his search for what mattered most in life he considered wealth, power and finally God. His search for meaning, like most people's search evolved over a lifetime. It should also be noted that some of the quotes come from literature (e.g. one of Shakespeare's plays) or from lyrics in songs (e.g. Bob Dylan's All Along the Watchtower). We are not suggesting that a quote from a fictional character or a song reflects the author's belief. The point we want to emphasize is that readers should not draw any conclusions about any author's complete philosophy of life on the basis of any of these individual quotes.
The ten themes (and chapters of this book) probably cover all the major views that people have about the meaning of life. The quotes expand upon those themes. Some of the quotes may be cynical or depressing. Some are inspirational and uplifting. Most, if not all, are thought-provoking. That is the purpose of this book - to provoke thought in you. We invite you to search and reflect!
Searches 4 some of the quotes -
Buy the book at Amazon - no reviews as yet
Quote from shakespeare about the stuff dreams are made of
Mel Brooks about flapping your arms & legs
Einstein on our highest purpose
The most interesting thing ...
The Dalai Lama on the meaning of life
Speaking of the Dalai Lama - here's 'The Art of Happiness'
Life is an unanswered question
The meaning of life according 2 Wikipedia
This being the fist I click on
Our purpose is 2 deliberately evolve ...
The purpose of life is to grasp as much as we can of that infinitude
This one didn't seem to be found on the web by Google -
The human species is in a state of arrested evolution. We are not meant to remain in this primitive physical state any more than a tadpole is meant to remain a tadpole forever. Evolution is a one-way street: for example, when the first primeval aquatic beings moved up onto the land, they left behind their gills and developed air-breathing lungs. Today we can no more imagine our future evolution than those fish could imagine life on dry land.
William Burroughs, US author
We are all here for a single purpose: to grow in wisdom and to learn to love better
A search 4 meaning at Brainyquote site
Turns up one by Joseph Campbell
Slowly sifting through the many results
Love means to love that which is unlovable
More Shakespeare - a nifty little site with its random features :)
Some words of wisdom from many years ago!
Found that one by searching for the word 'meaning' at that site
If you felt like it, you could search 4 love or peace or happiness :)
It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom
Until you have learned to be tolerant with those who do not always agree with you until you have cultivated the habit of saying some kind word of those whom you do not admire until you have formed the habit of looking for the good instead of the bad there is in others, you will be neither successful nor happy
The importance of a good laugh
Many many quotes at this interesting forum
Do we give ourselves the same room for trial and error that we would another? Can we imagine ourselves as a child who doesn't know what they are doing. How patient can you be with a child learning a new skill? Can we give that same level of patience and tolerance to ourselves and to those in our lives?
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle
How 2 live a meaningful life (seriously)
Create a list of 365 Life-Inspiring quotes
When you start to develop your powers of empathy and imagination, the whole world opens up to you
Thoughts from Saint-Exupery about the meaning of life
A wise man onced said that all human activity is a form of play. And the highest form of play is the Search for Truth, Beauty and Love. What more is needed? Should there be a "meaning" as well, that would be a bonus.
If we waste time looking for life's meaning, we may have no time to live - or to play. Our graceful, smiling cousins in the sea may be wiser than us.
"Consider the ant," said the Bible. Good advice to primitive peoples struggling to survive in a hostile environment.
But perhaps we should consider the dolphin.
Arthur C Clarke, English writer
Life is not an easy matter ...
Emerson also has a bit 2 say about making experiments
Jean Paul Sartre is one of the contributors
Site about the great philosophers
We all live with the objective of being happy
Another boook called the meaning of life - seen in my local library - yet 2 read it!
Be patient with everyone, but above all with yourself. I mean do not be disheartened by your imperfections, but always rise up with fresh courage. How are we to be patient in dealing with our neighbour's faults if we are impatient in dealing with our own? He who is fretted by his own failings will not correct them. All profitable correction comes from a calm and peaceful mind.
"The purpose of life is to reach perfection. The rose starts as a seed or cutting, then grows and prospers with the sunshine and the rain. After a period of thime the perfect rose blossoms. The human experience is much the same, except that the time span is much greater because man, before he can reach this state of perfection must return again and again through many incarnations in order to conquer all disease, greed, jealousy, anger, hatred and guilt ... He must pattern himself after the masters of perfection, such as the great master Jesus. Wanting to be perfect is all that is required."
~ Willie Nelson (would you believe)
The purpose of human life is to achieve our own spiritual evolution, to get rid of negativity, to establish harmony among our physical, emotional, intellectual, and spirtual quadrants, to learn to live in harmony within the family, community, nation, the whole world and all living things, treating all of mankind as brothers and sisters - thus making it finally possible to have peace on earth.
~ Elsiabeth Kubler-Ross
A more abundant life is a more loving life, a life that loves God, Whom we don't see, as we love our neighbour whom we do see all around us, all around the world. Love the Russians? Of course. Love that smelly, ragged old man sprawled on a subway grate for warmth? Certainly. Love the fellow with AIDS? Yes. Love the kid who just mugged you for drug money? Especially ... The meaning of life? There are these three: faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love.
~ Theodore Hesburgh
The most interesting thing in the world is another human being, who wonders, suffers and raises questions that have bothered him to the last day of his life, knowing he will never get the answers.
~ Will Durant
We are here to learn to live. Learning to love is terribly demanding and horribly discouraging. Some people never get anywhere with it. And no-one ever gets a PhD in the subject. The most concentrated lesson I have ever learned came to me as I stroked my wife's sweaty hands during her arduous birthing of our son, Nicholas. That single afternoon in a tiled delivery room taught me more about why we are here than did years of lectures and seminars. The world is designed to teach us to love.
~ Harvey Cox
What matters ... is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment. To put the question in general terms would be comparable to the question posed to a chess champion: "Tell me, Master, what is the best move in the world?"
Heaps more ... why not buy the book!
A website called the meaning of life would you believe!
"For peace-of-mind make no comparisons."
~ Anon
Huge forum - and a quotations thread