"I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy"
- Rabindranath Tagore
About this Quote
This quote by Rabindranath Tagore talks to the idea that joy and service are linked. He recommends that when we sleep and dream, we can envision life as a source of joy, but when we get up and do something about it, we recognize that life has to do with service. Through service, we can discover delight. This quote encourages us to do something about it and to serve others, as it is through service that we can find real pleasure. It is a pointer that joy is not something that we can find through our own efforts, but rather through the efforts of others. We should want to provide of ourselves in order to receive pleasure in return. Tagore's quote is a suggestion that delight and service are intertwined, which we must be willing to offer of ourselves in order to experience true joy.
"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"