Quotes About Meaning

Never use the word, 'very.' It is the weakest word in the English language; doesn't mean anything. If you feel the urge of 'very' coming on, just write the word, 'damn,' in the place of 'very.' The editor will strike out the word, 'damn,' and you will have a good sentence.

Does not the latent feeling that much of their striving is to no purpose tend to infuse large quantities of sham into men's work?

Sin we have explain'd away; Unluckily, the sinners stay.

Kinquering Congs their titles take.

Someone with a coherent philosophy of life will know what in life is worth attaining, and because this person has spent time trying to attain the thing in life he believed to be worth attaining, he has probably attained it, to the extent that it was possible for him to do so. Consequently, when it comes time for him to die, he will not feel cheated. To the contrary, he will, in the words of Musonius, "be set free from the fear of death."2 Consider,

A growing number of people have realized that they lack what the ancient philosophers would have called a philosophy of life. Such a philosophy tells you what in life is worth having and provides you with a strategy for obtaining it. If you try to live without a philosophy of life, you will find yourself extemporizing your way through your days. As a result, your daily efforts are likely to be haphazard, and your life is likely to be misspent. What a waste!

William B. Irvine

WHAT DO YOU WANT out of life?

a grand goal in living is the first component of a philosophy of life.

modern individuals rarely see the need to adopt a philosophy of life. They instead tend to spend their days working hard to be able to afford the latest consumer gadget, in the resolute belief that if only they buy enough stuff, they will have a life that is both meaningful and maximally fulfilling.

there is nothing important, nothing serious, nor wretched either, in the whole outfit of life.

Marcus Aurelius: "Nothing is worth doing pointlessly.")

There are two great days in a person's life - the day we are born and the day we discover why.

There are two great days in a person's life - the day we are born and the day we discover why.

Some questions simply have no answers. It was meant to be that way. If we could prove empirically that God exists - what would be the point? That wouldn't be faith. That would be science class. True religion requires an act of faith - that's what defines it.

If words happen to be still dubious, we may establish their meaning from the context; with which it may be of singular use to compare a word, or a sentence, whenever they are ambiguous, equivocal, or intricate.

The most universal and effectual way of discovering the true meaning of a law, when the words are dubious, is by considering the reason and spirit of it.

Every life is both ordinary and extraordinary - it is the respective proportion of those two categories that make that life appear interesting or humdrum.

Successful new beginnings are based on a clear and appropriate purpose. Without one, there may be lots of starts but no real beginnings. In fact, there may be one start after another in a sequence of changes that tires out everyone without solving the underlying problems. Without a beginning, the transition is incomplete. And without transition, the change changes nothing.

Not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that's counted truly counts.

provides a powerful way to awaken to your life's purpose,

He that sings a lasting songThinks in a marrowbone.

What is clearest, most memorable and important about art is its coming into being, and the world's best works of art, while telling of very diverse matters, are really telling about their birth.

Proper recitation of the Qur'an opens up the reader to new meanings at every reading. "When meaning repeats itself for someone who is reciting the Qur'an, he has not recited it as it should be recited. This is proof of his ignorance" (F. IV