Purpose quotes

Purpose

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Purpose quotes (page 20 of 149)

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Noam Chomsky Linguist, Philosopher, Activist
Purpose

"The main purpose of advertising is to undermine markets. If you go to graduate school and you take a course in economics, you learn that markets are systems in which informed consumers make rational choices. That's what's so wonderful about it. But that's the last thing that the state corporate system wants. It is spending huge sums to prevent that."

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James Van Allen Physicist
Purpose

"My position is that it is high time for a calm debate on more fundamental questions. Does human spaceflight continue to serve a compelling cultural purpose and/or our national interest? Or does human spaceflight simply have a life of its own, without a realistic objective that is remotely commensurate with its costs? Or, indeed, is human spaceflight now obsolete?"

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Mark Twain Writer, Humorist
Purpose

"Written things are not for speech; their form is literary; they are stiff, inflexible, and will not lend themselves to happy and effective delivery with the tongue-where their purpose is to merely entertain, not instruct; they have to be limbered up, broken up, colloquialized and turned into common forms of premeditated talk-otherwise they will bore the house and not entertain it."

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Kurt Vonnegut Novelist, Satirist
Purpose

"What is the purpose of life?...To be the eyes and ears and conscience of the Creator of the Universe, you fool!"

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Pablo Picasso Painter, Sculptor
Purpose

"I go for a walk in the forest of Fontainebleau. I get 'green' indigestion. I must get rid of this sensation into a picture. Green rules it. A painter paints to unload himself of feelings and visions."

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Paramahansa Yogananda Spiritual Teacher, Author
Purpose

"The things you need in life are those that will help you to fulfill your dominant purpose. Things you may want but not need may lead you aside from that purpose. It is only by making everything serve your main objective that success is attained."

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Eckhart Tolle Spiritual Teacher, Author
Purpose

"Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could spare them from all suffering? No, it wouldn't. They would not evolve as human beings and would remain shallow, identified with the external form of things. Suffering drives you deeper. The paradox is that suffering is caused by identification with form and erodes identification with form. A lot of it is caused by the ego, although eventually suffering destroys the ego-but not until you suffer consciously."

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Eckhart Tolle Spiritual Teacher, Author
Purpose

"Awareness is the power that is concealed within the present moment. … The ultimate purpose of human existence, which is to say, your purpose, is to bring that power into this world."

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Erich Fromm Psychologist, Philosopher
Purpose

"All genuine ideals have one thing in common: they express the desire for something which is not yet accomplished but which is desirable for the purpose of the growth and happiness of the individual."

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Chinua Achebe Novelist, Poet
Purpose

"My position is that serious and good art has always existed to help, to serve, humanity. Not to indict. I don’t see how art can be called art if its purpose is to frustrate humanity. To make humanity uncomfortable, yes. But intrinsically to be against humanity, that I don’t take."

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