Quotes About Purpose

You have lived your life. Now, take what's left and live it properly. What doesn't transmit light creates its own darkness.

You must build up your life action by action, and be content if each one achieves its goal as far as possible.

Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.

Foolish are those who…have no aim to which they can direct every impulse and, indeed, every thought.

Certainly He who governs the Whole will make good use of you and welcome you into some part of the joint workforce: but just make sure that your part is not that of the cheap and vulgar line in the comedy, as noted by Chrysippus.

If the choice rests with thee, why do the thing? if with another, whom dost thou blame? Atoms or Gods? To do either would be crazy folly. No one is to blame. For if thou canst, set the offender right. Failing that, at least set the thing itself right. If that too be impracticable, what purpose is served by imputing blame? For without a purpose nothing should be done.

Why all the guesswork? You can see what needs to be done. If you can see the road follow it. Cheerfully, without turning back.

A man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions.

Do not waste what remains of your life in speculating about your neighbors, unless with a view to some mutual benefit. To wonder what so-and-so is doing and why, or what he is saying, or thinking, or scheming—in a word, anything that distracts you from fidelity to the ruler within you—means a loss of opportunity for some other task.

Sustained success comes only when you take what's unique about you and figure out how to make it useful.

Thus growth in love, growth in compassion, is the primary quality of life in the Spirit. It is also the primary criterion for distinguishing a genuine born-again experience from one that only appears to be one. It is the pragmatic test suggested by William James, quoting Jesus: "By their fruits you shall know them." The fruit is love. Indeed, such fruit is the purpose of the Christian life.

We do not think that Jesus thought that the purpose of his life, his vocation, was his death. His purpose was what he was doing as a healer, wisdom teacher, social prophet, and movement initiator. His death was the consequence of what he was doing, but not his purpose.

Why did it happen? Why did Jesus' life end this way? For centuries, Christians have seen Jesus' death as the very purpose of his life. It was salvific; that is, it had saving significance and makes our salvation possible.

But did Jesus himself see his own purpose this way? According to the gospels in their present form, yes.

Jesus courageously kept doing what he was doing even though he knew it could have fatal consequences. So we do not think Jesus saw his purpose as dying for the sins of the world. Rather, this interpretation, like the others in the New Testament, is post-Easter and thus retrospective. Looking back on the execution of Jesus, the early movement sought to see a providential purpose in this horrendous event.12

I am convinced that salvation in the biblical tradition has to do primarily with this life.

This relationship with God, and all that flows from it, are the purpose of the Christian life. The invitation of the Christian gospel is to enter into that relationship in which our healing and wholeness lie, that relationship which transforms us by beginning to heal the wounds of existence and makes our lives in the here and now a life with God.

Our span of life is brief, but is long enough for us to live well and honestly.

What one has, one ought to use; and whatever he does, he should do with all his might.

Non nobis solum nati sumus.

Breve tempus ætatis satis est longum ad bene honesteque vivendum

I do not understand what the man who is happy wants in order to be happier.

If people think that friendship springs from weakness and from a purpose to secure someone through whom we may obtain that which we lack, they assign her, if I may so express it, a lowly pedigree indeed, and an origin far from noble, and they would make her the daughter of poverty and want.

It's like I've been chosen. But chosen for what? I ask. The answer is quite simple: To care.