Life is life - whether in a cat, or dog or man. There is no difference there between a cat or a man. The idea of difference is a human conception for man's own advantage.
Sri AurobindoRead
The ascent to the divine Life is the human journey, the Work of works, the acceptable Sacrifice. This alone is man's real business in the world and the justification of his existence, without which he would only be an insect crawling among the ephemeral insects on a speck of surface mud and water which has managed to form itself amid the appalling immensities of the physical universe.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of striving for a higher purpose in life, transcending mundane existence.
Sri Aurobindo's quote reflects on the human experience as a journey towards spiritual growth and divine living. It suggests that the true essence of our existence lies in pursuing this transcendent path, which is a significant contrast to a life lived without purpose, reduced to mere survival amidst the vastness of the universe. The idea is that by seeking a higher calling, we give meaning to our lives rather than merely existing like insignificant insects.
Themes
DivineJourneyPurposeExistenceSpirituality
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech on finding purpose in life.
More from Sri Aurobindo
All quotes →To listen to some devout people, one would imagine that God never laughs.
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Indian religion has always felt that since the minds, the temperaments and the intellectual affinities of men are unlimited in their variety, a perfect liberty of thought and of worship must be allowed to the individual in his approach to the Infinite.
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Be conscious first of thyself within, then think and act. All living thought is a world in preparation; all real act is a thought manifested. The material world exists because an idea began to play in divine self–consciousness.
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Evolution is not finished; reason is not the last word nor the reasoning animal the supreme figure of Nature. As man emerged out of the animal, so out of man the superman emerges.
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Impossibility is only a sum of greater unrealised possibles. It veils an advanced stage and a yet unaccomplished journey.
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