William James? Ralph Barton Perry? Henry James? Anonymous?
Dear Quote Investigator: I have been working to confirm the source and accuracy of a quotation that is attributed to the famous philosopher and educator William James. Here are three versions:
- The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.
- The best use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.
- The great use of a life is to spend it for something that outlasts it.
A version of this saying was listed in the Wikipedia entry for James, but more recently it has been removed. Perhaps you can verify this quote and determine the correct version.
Quote Investigator: The earliest published evidence known to QI appeared in the second volume of a massive compendium titled “The Thought and Character of William James: As Revealed in Unpublished Correspondence and Notes, Together with His Published Writings” which was released in 1935. The quotation from James is followed by a comment from the editor Ralph Barton Perry. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:[1]1935, “The Thought and Character of William James: As revealed in unpublished correspondence and notes, together with his published writings”, Edited by Ralph Barton Perry, Volume II: … Continue reading
“The great use of a life,” James said in 1900, “is to spend it for something that outlasts it.” This outlasting cause was then, as in earlier days, the happiness of mankind.
The 1935 edition of this work did not specify the provenance of the quotation, but a 1948 edition contained a footnote indicating that James’s statement originally appeared in a letter he wrote to W. Lutoslawski on November 13, 1900.[2]1965 (1948 Copyright), The Thought and Character of William James: Briefer Version, by Ralph Barton Perry, Chapter 26: Social and Political Sentiments, Footnote 8, Quote Page 237, Harper Torchbooks: … Continue reading
Here are additional selected citations in chronological order.
Continue reading The Great Use of a Life Is to Spend It for Something That Outlasts It
References
| ↑1 | 1935, “The Thought and Character of William James: As revealed in unpublished correspondence and notes, together with his published writings”, Edited by Ralph Barton Perry, Volume II: Philosophy and Psychology, Quote Page 289, An Atlantic Monthly Press Book, Little, Brown, and Company, Boston. (Verified on paper) (Internet Archive has an Oxford University Press edition in full view) link |
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| ↑2 | 1965 (1948 Copyright), The Thought and Character of William James: Briefer Version, by Ralph Barton Perry, Chapter 26: Social and Political Sentiments, Footnote 8, Quote Page 237, Harper Torchbooks: Harper & Row, New York. (Verified with scans) |