I hope, if you should live to grow up, you will endeavour to be very useful and not spend all your time in pleasing yourself.
Interpretation
The quote encourages focusing on being useful to others rather than solely seeking personal pleasure.
Elizabeth Fry's quote emphasizes the value of contributing to society and being beneficial to those around us. It highlights the importance of living a purposeful life by engaging in activities that serve a greater good instead of prioritizing self-indulgence.
In practice
In a graduation speech, one might quote Fry to inspire students to contribute positively to society.
The loveliest, sweetest flower that bloomed in paradise, and the first that died, has rarely blossomed since on mortal soil. It is so frail, so delicate, a thing, it is gone if it but look upon itself; and she who ventures to esteem it hers proves by that single thought she has it not.
Meditation is another dimension of natural beauty. People talk about appreciating natural beauty-climbing mountains, seeing giraffes and tigers in Africa, and all sorts of things. But nobody seems to appreciate this kind of natural beauty of ourselves. This is actually far more beautiful than flora and fauna, far more fantastic, far more painful and colorful and delightful.
We should so provide for old age that it may have no urgent wants of this world to absorb it from meditation on the next. It is awful to see the lean hands of dotage making a coffer of the grave.
So long as we believe in our heart of hearts that our capacity is limited and we grow anxious and unhappy, we are lacking in faith. One who truly trusts in God has no right to be anxious about anything.
I must say to myself that I ruined myself, and that nobody great or small can be ruined except by his own hand. I am quite ready to say so. ... Terrible as was what the world did to me, what I did to myself was far more terrible still.
Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice; Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment.
Good temper, like a sunny day, sheds a ray of brightness over everything; it is the sweetener of toil and the soother of disquietude!
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