“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.”
–Albert Einstein
Many of us seem to think that we need to become rich and famous in order to be successful. Albert Einstein, one of the most brilliant men who ever lived, saw it differently. In Einstein’s eyes, our life could be worthwhile only if we lived it for the benefit of others. My own experience supports Einstein’s view. Every person I have ever known whose primary goal in life was to help others was a very happy person. Although they did not actively seek happiness for themselves, happiness came their way nonetheless. By contrast, most of the people I have known who placed their own happiness at the top of their agenda in life never seemed to find it.
Albert Schweitzer once said, “The only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.” Schweitzer understood and lived by this profound truth. By the age of 30, Schweitzer had earned an international reputation as a writer on theology, as an organist and authority on organ building, and as an authority on the life of Johann Sebastian Bach. He could have had a brilliant career in any of these fields, yet he chose to enroll in medical school, prepare himself to become a medical missionary and devote the rest of his life to caring for the sick at the Schweitzer Hospital, which he founded in Africa.
We all have a purpose in life, and I don’t believe that God wants any of us to devote our lives entirely to attaining wealth and status for ourselves. This does not mean, however, that we should neglect ourselves, or feel guilty if we end up attaining some wealth and status as we pursue our goal of living life for the benefit of others.
If we all work together to make this a better world, not only will others be better off, but we will also be better off. Whatever talents God has given us were intended to be used for the good of mankind as a whole–not for our own selfish gain. Great men like Einstein, Schweitzer and Thomas Edison devoted their talents to the betterment of the world and have left behind an awesome legacy. Most of us do not have talents of this magnitude, but we all have talents.
Perhaps our mission in life is to be a good friend to others or to be a source of cheer to all those with whom we come into contact. Perhaps our most important role is that of being a good parent. Most great men and women owe at least part of their success to their parents or other people who helped shape their character and their careers. The important thing is to make the most of whatever talents we have been given and avoid the temptation to use those talents solely for our own personal gain.
Think about it.
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Copyright 2026
Allen W. Smith
