The question of the purpose of human life has been raised countless times; it has never yet received a satisfactory answer and perhaps does not admit of one. Some of those who have asked it have added that if it should turn out that life has no purpose, it would lose all value for them. But this threat alters nothing. It looks, on the contrary, as though one had a right to dismiss the question, for it seems to derive from the human presumptuousness, many other manifestations of which are already familiar to us. Nobody talks about the purpose of the life of animals, unless, perhaps, it may be supposed to lie in being of service to man. But this view is not tenable either, for there are many animals of which man can make nothing, except to describe, classify and study them; and innumerable species of animals have escaped even this use, since they existed and became extinct before man set eyes on them.Sigmund Freud
About This Quote
This quote demonstrates the absurdity of the idea that man's purpose is to serve as a means to the end of satisfying man's desires. In fact, if it isn't possible to achieve an end without serving as a means, then the end must be understood as a means. If we think that life is about "serving" life then we will see that those who serve life are those who care for humanity and those who care for humanity are those who serve life.
Some Similar Quotes
- The soul is healed by being with children.
- Friends are the family you choose (~ Nin/Ithilnin, Elven rogue).
- Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public.
- I suppose it’s not a social norm, and not a manly thing to do – to feel, discuss feelings. So that’s what I’m giving the finger to. Social norms and stuff…what good are social norms, really? I think all they do is project a limited...
- Human relationships always help us to carry on because they always presuppose further developments, a future - and also because we live as if our only task was precisely to have relationships with other people.