“There is only one thing in the world that is really valuable, it is to do good.”

—  African Spir

Source: Words of a Sage : Selected thoughts of African Spir (1937), p. 56.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update Sept. 14, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "There is only one thing in the world that is really valuable, it is to do good." by African Spir?
African Spir photo
African Spir 98
Russian philosopher 1837–1890

Related quotes

African Spir photo

“Whoever has recognized the vainglory of individuality will not attach any store ("n'attachera aucun prix à", Fr.) to fame. The only one thing which is really valuable, it is to do good.”

African Spir (1837–1890) Russian philosopher

From the Esquisse biographique, by Hélène Claparède-Spir, p. 17.
Words of a Sage : Selected thoughts of African Spir (1937)

Albert Einstein photo

“The really valuable thing is intuition.”

Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born physicist and founder of the theory of relativity

Although similar to many of Einstein's comments about the importance of intuition and imagination, no sources for this can be found prior to The Psychology of Consciousness by Robert Evan Ornstein (1973), p. 68 http://books.google.com/books?id=0Yh9AAAAMAAJ&q=%22really+valuable+thing+is+intuition%22#search_anchor, where there is no mention of where the quote was originally made. A number of early sources from the 1980s and 1990s attribute it to The Intuitive Edge by Philip Goldberg (1983), which also provides no original source.
Disputed

Martin Fowler photo

“One of the things I've been trying to do is look for simpler or rules underpinning good or bad design. I think one of the most valuable rules is avoid duplication. "Once and only once" is the Extreme Programming phrase.”

Martin Fowler (1963) British programmer

Martin Fowler as cited in: James Shore, Shane Warden (2007) The Art of Agile Development. p. 319

Albert Einstein photo

“The only real valuable thing is intuition.”

Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born physicist and founder of the theory of relativity
Donald J. Trump photo

“The most important thing in life is to love what you're doing, because that's the only way you'll ever be really good at it.”

Donald J. Trump (1946) 45th President of the United States of America

Source: 1980s, Trump: The Art of the Deal (1987), p. 67

“It was good, really, that this external world still existed, if only as a place of refuge.”

Patrick Süskind (1949) German writer and screenwriter

Source: Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer

John Ruskin photo

“There is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.”

John Ruskin (1819–1900) English writer and art critic

Quoted by John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury, The Use of Life, chapter IV: "Recreation" (1894).

Jiddu Krishnamurti photo

“The only thing that really matters is that there be an action of goodness, love and intelligence in living.”

Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895–1986) Indian spiritual philosopher

Conversation 5
1970s, The Urgency of Change (1970)
Context: The only thing that really matters is that there be an action of goodness, love and intelligence in living. Is goodness individual or collective, is love personal or impersonal, is intelligence yours, mine or somebody else? If it is yours or mine then it is not intelligence, or love, or goodness. If goodness is an affair of the individual or of the collective, according to one's particular preference or decision, then it is no longer goodness.

Kevin Kelly photo

“If goods and services become more valuable as they become more plentiful, and if they become cheaper as they become valuable, then the natural extension of this logic says that the most valuable things of all should be those that are ubiquitous and free.”

Kevin Kelly (1952) American author and editor

Out of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems and the Economic World (1995), New Rules for the New Economy: 10 Radical Strategies for a Connected World (1999)

Related topics