by Albert Einstein
Give More Than You Receive
"Do not try to become a successful person, but rather a person of value. In our days it is considered successful who gets more out of life than he gives. But a person of value gives more than he receives."
This quote by Einstein was from 1955, shortly before his death. When I read it, it brought to my mind Vinay Kumar, a Yoga Teacher. I was in Mysore, India, and while practicing breath control techniques, Vinay said, "Exhale longer than you inhale. You must always give more than you receive." I like to say that Vinay is an "awakened" person, as was Einstein. People of value and therefore also of success, because value implies success. The reverse is not guaranteed.
We have a chance to be people of value because each of us has a gift, a natural inclination to help others. Sometimes this endowment is not clear to us, but it can manifest itself if we think about what we are passionate about. If, for example, we have spent so much time experimenting with recipes of all kinds that we have become cooking experts, it is possible that cooking is the medium for helping others, teaching cooking or perhaps cooking. This applies to any activity we are passionate about, from painting to dancing, from playing an instrument to woodworking, from mechanics to gardening, from playing soccer to teaching physics in school. One can have a predisposition to help others with words, by listening, by smiling. Everyone has his or her gifts; we can all apply the principle of "giving more than receiving" to be people of value. "Giving more than receiving" is a fulfilling philosophy of life; it helps us live better.
It is, however, easy to forget this principle. Fortunately someone reminds us of it from time to time. Today I was reminded of it by Einsten. When the German physicist uttered the words I quoted, he was in his Princeton home answering questions from William Miller, editor of LIFE Magazine. If you want to read the entire, enlightening interview, here is the link:
Original article -> Old Man's Advice to Youth: «Never Lose a Holy Curiosity.»