53 Remarkable Quotes on How to Find Your Life’s Purpose
People who accomplish something great and significant in this world always have one thing in common: They follow a unique purpose in their life which empowers them and gives them a sense of meaning and direction.
Every single person is born to fulfill a specific mission. This mission is his life’s purpose which is planted like a seed in the depths of his being. Our most important task is to nurture this noble seed of greatness so that it can be developed to its fullest capacity.
Unlike the conventional thinking, we do not achieve this by spending our lives in a relentless search for our purpose. Rather, we must create it by continuously developing and improving our natural skills, abilities and strengths through a deliberate, focused, and intensive way of working.
In this post, you’ll find out through 53 inspirational quotes how the giants of history define the purpose of human existence.
Your life’s purpose is a path that no one has walked before you, because it does not yet exist. You alone are responsible for it and capable of building this—not yet existing—path. So start working on your mission and enrich the world by fulfilling your life’s purpose.
“The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.”
– Albert Schweitzer , 1875 – 1965 , Theologian, Organist, Writer, Humanitarian, Philosopher, and Physician
“To begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment.”
– James Allen , 1864 – 1912 , British Philosophical Writer
“Even if he fails again and again to accomplish his purpose, the strength of character gained will be the measure of his true success.”
– James Allen , 1864 – 1912 , British Philosophical Writer
“Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.”
– Helen Keller , 1880 – 1968 , American Author, Disability Rights Advocate, Political Activist and Lecturer
“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”
– Rabindranath Tagore , 1861 – 1941 , Bengali Poet, Writer, Composer, Philosopher, Social Reformer and Painter
“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.”
– Pablo Picasso , 1881 – 1973 , Spanish Painter, Sculptor, Printmaker, Ceramicist and Theatre Designer
“There is no greater gift you can give or receive than to honor your calling. It’s why you were born. And how you become most truly alive.”
– Oprah Winfrey , American Talk Show Host, Television Producer, Actress, Author, and Philanthropist
“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson , 1803 – 1882 , American Essayist, Lecturer, Philosopher, Abolitionist and Poet
“Man is not born to solve the problem of the universe, but to find out what he has to do; and to restrain himself within the limits of his comprehension.”
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe , 1749 – 1832 , German Poet, Playwright, Novelist, Scientist, Statesman and Theatre Director
“The real joy in life comes from finding your true purpose and aligning it with what you do every single day.”
– Tony Robbins , American Author, Motivational Speaker, and Philanthropist
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”
– Pablo Picasso , 1881 – 1973 , Spanish Painter, Sculptor, Printmaker, Ceramicist and Theatre Designer
“If a man hasn’t found something he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.”
– Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. , 1929 – 1968 , African American Baptist Minister and Activist
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
– Mahatma Gandhi , 1869 – 1948 , Indian Lawyer, Anti-Colonial Nationalist, and Political Ethicist
“Find Purpose. The means will follow.”
– Mahatma Gandhi , 1869 – 1948 , Indian Lawyer, Anti-Colonial Nationalist, and Political Ethicist
“The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life.”
– Rabindranath Tagore , 1861 – 1941 , Bengali Poet, Writer, Composer, Philosopher, Social Reformer and Painter
“People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.”
– Tenzin Gyatso , Highest Spiritual Leader of Tibet
“You must first be who you really are, then do what you really need to do, in order to have what you want.”
– Margaret Young , 1891 – 1969 , American Singer and Comedian
“Activity without purpose is the drain of your life.”
– Tony Robbins , American Author, Motivational Speaker, and Philanthropist
“You got to go down a lot of wrong roads to find the right one.”
– Bob Parsons , American Entrepreneur, Billionaire, and Philanthropist
“If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place.”
– Nora Roberts , American Author of More than 225 Romance Novels
“It’s not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something.”
– Winston S. Churchill , 1874 – 1965 , British Statesman, Army officer, Social Reformer, Historian, Painter, and Writer
“The good Lord didn’t create anything without a purpose, but the fly comes close.”
– Mark Twain , 1835 – 1910 , American Writer, Humorist, Entrepreneur, and Publisher
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
– Albert Einstein , 1879 – 1955 , German-Born Theoretical Physicist
“Life is not primarily a quest for pleasure, as Freud believed, or a quest for power, as Alfred Adler taught, but a quest for meaning. The greatest task for any person is to find meaning in his or her life.”
– Viktor E. Frankl , 1905 – 1997 , Austrian Neurologist, Psychiatrist, Philosopher, Author, and Holocaust Survivor
“Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible.”
– Viktor E. Frankl , 1905 – 1997 , Austrian Neurologist, Psychiatrist, Philosopher, Author, and Holocaust Survivor
“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”
– Mark Twain , 1835 – 1910 , American Writer, Humorist, Entrepreneur, and Publisher
“The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.”
– Fyodor Dostoyevsky , 1821 – 1881 , Russian Novelist, Philosopher, Short Story Writer, Essayist, and Journalist
“You can have anything you want if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish if you hold to that desire with singleness of purpose.”
– Abraham Lincoln , 1809 – 1865 , American Statesman and Lawyer
“I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand. Henceforth will I apply ALL my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy.”
– Og Mandino , 1923 – 1996 , American Author and Sales Expert
“The soul which has no fixed purpose in life is lost; to be everywhere is to be nowhere.”
– Michel de Montaigne , 1533 – 1592 , One of the Most Significant Philosophers of the French Renaissance
“You’ve got to have a purpose no matter what you do in life.”
– Arnold Schwarzenegger , Austrian-American Actor, Businessman, Retired Bodybuilder, and Former Politician
“Life is a promise; fulfill it.”
– Mother Teresa , 1910 – 1997 , Albanian-Indian, Roman Catholic Nun and Missionary
“Nothing is more likely to help a person overcome or endure troubles than the consciousness of having a task in life.”
– Viktor E. Frankl , 1905 – 1997 , Austrian Neurologist, Psychiatrist, Philosopher, Author, and Holocaust Survivor
“Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it.”
– Siddhartha Gautama Buddha , Philosopher, Mendicant, Meditator, Spiritual Teacher, and Religious Leader
“In the end, the money and success that truly last come not to those who focus on such things as goals, but rather to those who focus on mastery and fulfilling their Life’s Task.”
– Robert Greene , American Author Known for His Books on Strategy, Power, and Seduction
“As you open yourself to living at your edge, your deepest purpose will slowly begin to make itself known. In the meantime, you will experience layer after layer of purposes, each one getting closer and closer to the fullness of your deepest purpose. It is as if your deepest purpose is at the center of your being, and it is surrounded by layers of concentric circles, each circle being a lesser purpose. Your life consists of penetrating each circle, from the outside toward the center.”
– David Deida , American Author Who Writes About the Sexual and Spiritual Growth of Men and Women
“The secret of success is constancy of purpose!”
– Napoleon Hill , 1883 – 1970 , Pioneer of Personal Development
“There is something that you can do better than anyone else in the whole world–and for every unique talent and unique expression of that talent, there are also unique needs. When these needs are matched with the creative expression of your talent, that is the spark that creates affluence. Expressing your talents to fulfill needs creates unlimited wealth and abundance.”
– Deepak Chopra , Indian-American Author and Alternative-Medicine Advocate
“The greatest tragedy is not death, but life without purpose.”
– Rick Warren , American Baptist Evangelical Christian Pastor and Author
“Make your work to be in keeping with your purpose.”
– Leonardo da Vinci , 1452 – 1519 , Italian Polymath of the High Renaissance
“The crowning fortune of a man is to be born to some pursuit which finds him employment and happiness, whether it be to make baskets, or broadswords, or canals, or statues, or songs.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson , 1803 – 1882 , American Essayist, Lecturer, Philosopher, Abolitionist and Poet
“When a person can’t find a deep sense of meaning, they distract themselves with pleasure.”
– Viktor E. Frankl , 1905 – 1997 , Austrian Neurologist, Psychiatrist, Philosopher, Author, and Holocaust Survivor
“Purpose is not a noun, it is a verb. It is about how we work. We experience purpose when we do something that’s greater than ourselves. We experience purpose when we push ourselves and grow. We experience purpose as part of a community.”
– Aaron Hurst , Social Entrepreneur and Authority of Social Innovation
“To the person who does not know where he wants to go there is no favorable wind.”
– Lucius Annaeus Seneca , c. 4 BC – AD 65 , Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman, and Dramatist
“Our purpose here on earth: to manifest the very nature of our spirit, which is touched by the spirit of God.”
– Rumi , 1207 – 1273 , 13th Century Persian, Poet, Hanafi Faqih, Islamic Scholar, Maturidi Theologian, and Sufi Mystic
“Seek the wisdom that will untie your knot. Seek the path that demands your whole being.”
– Rumi , 1207 – 1273 , 13th Century Persian, Poet, Hanafi Faqih, Islamic Scholar, Maturidi Theologian, and Sufi Mystic
“You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?”
– Rumi , 1207 – 1273 , 13th Century Persian, Poet, Hanafi Faqih, Islamic Scholar, Maturidi Theologian, and Sufi Mystic
“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.”
– Rumi , 1207 – 1273 , 13th Century Persian, Poet, Hanafi Faqih, Islamic Scholar, Maturidi Theologian, and Sufi Mystic
“It’s your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.”
– Rumi , 1207 – 1273 , 13th Century Persian, Poet, Hanafi Faqih, Islamic Scholar, Maturidi Theologian, and Sufi Mystic
“Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.”
– Rumi , 1207 – 1273 , 13th Century Persian, Poet, Hanafi Faqih, Islamic Scholar, Maturidi Theologian, and Sufi Mystic
“I am seeking, I am striving, I am in it with all my heart.”
– Vincent van Gogh , 1853 – 1890 , Dutch Post-Impressionist Painter
“My main purpose in life is to make money so i can afford to go on creating more inventions.”
– Thomas A. Edison , 1847 – 1931 , American Inventor and Businessman
“Finding your purpose is a lifelong adventure. Enjoy the journey.”
– Todd Stocker , American Writer, Speaker and the Executive Pastor at Trinity in Hudson