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Source identified
“If you want to be happy, if you want to live a contented life, if you want to live a life of genuine pleasure, do something for somebody else.”

Booker T. Washington

Source
Character Building
Date
1902
Attribution
Source identified
Meaning

What does this quote mean?

The address directs attention away from self-absorption and toward concrete help for another person as Washington’s preferred route to a more contented life.

Source context

Where does it come from?

Character Building, “Helping Others,” Project Gutenberg #60484. The statement is moral advice inside a school address and is not presented as clinical treatment for unhappiness.

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Attribution

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This wording is connected with the named source shown above. Translations and editions can vary, so consult the source note when exact wording matters.

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