I do not intend to spare myself, not to avoid emotions or difficulties. I don't care much whether I live a longer or shorter time: the world concerns me only in so far as I feel a certain debt toward it, because I have walked on this earth for thirty years, and out of gratitude I want to leave some souvenir.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Living with gratitude creates a debt to the world, prompting us to leave something meaningful behind regardless of lifespan.
- In plain terms
- We should leave something behind out of gratitude for having lived on this earth.
- What can you take from it?
- Create work or legacy as a way to repay the gift of life.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What will you leave behind?
- How do you feel about your time on earth?
Another view
Legacy is not always within one's control or the primary measure of a good life.
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