--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whenever we do something for someone…" description: "\"Whenever we do something for someone else, we affirm that we are not simply in it for ourselves, that our self is someone else, is everyone else.\" — Fr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/294/frederick-lenz-8_identity_whenever-we-do-something-for-someone-els_1789725.jpg" --- # Whenever we do something for someone else, we affirm that… ![“Whenever we do something for someone else, we affirm that we are not simply in it for ourselves, that our self is someone else, is everyone else.” quote by Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/294/frederick-lenz-8_identity_whenever-we-do-something-for-someone-els_1789725.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/294/frederick-lenz-8_identity_whenever-we-do-something-for-someone-els_1789725.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/294/frederick-lenz-8_identity_whenever-we-do-something-for-someone-els_1789725.jpg) > “Whenever we do something for someone else, we affirm that we are not simply in it for ourselves, that our self is someone else, is everyone else.” [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Helping others reminds us we are part of something larger than ourselves. **In simple terms:** Helping others shows we’re not alone. Key Takeaway Practice self‑less service to feel connected. Themes spirituality service ego interconnectedness humanity Mood reflective uplifting Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - volunteering - community projects - teamwork - support groups Key Concepts self‑transcendence collective identity Questions to Reflect On - How does serving others affect personal growth? - What limits should be set when helping? A Different Perspective Self‑sacrifice can lead to burnout if not balanced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affirm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affirm/) [Affirm Simply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affirm-simply-1934372/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Karma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/karma/) [Karma yoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/karma-yoga/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Simply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simply/) [Simply Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simply-self-1934371/) [Yoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yoga/) ## Related quotes > [“Surely you may happen to get lost on the way, but naturally that is simply how you find your self.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-chabane/surely-you-may-happen-to-get-lost-on-the-way-but-naturally-that-is/) [Morgan Chabane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-chabane/) > [We define a world. We build a house, then after building the house we enter into it and we never leave it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/we-define-a-world-we-build-a-house-then-after-building-the-house-we/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Eternity gives life to all and sustains all, transforms all on the wheel of dharma - until all attain perfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/eternity-gives-life-to-all-and-sustains-all-transforms-all-on-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We have two choices in life: One is to fulfill ourselves. The other is to take the time and energy that we would utilize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/we-have-two-choices-in-life-one-is-to-fulfill-ourselves-the-other-is/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [You could sit around and feel sorry for yourself or you can go out and do things for others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-could-sit-around-and-feel-sorry-for-yourself-or-you-can-go-out/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [You can only be really happy when you become what you really are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-can-only-be-really-happy-when-you-become-what-you-really-are/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Having a tough time, things aren't working out no matter what you try and do? That's because you are spending your whole life just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/having-a-tough-time-things-aren-t-working-out-no-matter-what-you-try/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The parent gives the child a new car, money. They know the child wants these things and has to do what they want; otherwise,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-parent-gives-the-child-a-new-car-money-they-know-the-child-wants/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Selfless giving is like putting on make-up. We're covering up a part of ourselves thats not very aware. The thing is when we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/selfless-giving-is-like-putting-on-make-up-we-re-covering-up-a-part/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The true hallmark of how advanced a person is, is how they treat those around them. Not simply what they say or what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-true-hallmark-of-how-advanced-a-person-is-is-how-they-treat-those/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Selfless giving is measured by how good you feel. Self giving should be obvious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/selfless-giving-is-measured-by-how-good-you-feel-self-giving-should/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The short way to happiness is through kindness and sensitivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-short-way-to-happiness-is-through-kindness-and-sensitivity/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [If your life is based around your being comfortable, you're not very comfortable. You suffer quite a bit - becuase in the realm of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-your-life-is-based-around-your-being-comfortable-you-re-not-very/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Selfless actions create a higher karma, which brings you into higher states of mind. When you are in higher states of mind you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/selfless-actions-create-a-higher-karma-which-brings-you-into-higher/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [If you burn yourself out in two years of intense selfless giving, what good is that if you could have given 20 years? Set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-burn-yourself-out-in-two-years-of-intense-selfless-giving-what/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## More by Frederick Lenz > [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [You can draw power from everything in your life. In order to do that, everything has to be set up in a proper way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-can-draw-power-from-everything-in-your-life-in-order-to-do-that/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. Then you get to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-the-most-miraculous-thing-is-learning-i-get-out-of-the-way/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Only alone can you go into eternity. Only alone can you feel the transcendental light. It is not a shared experience because if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/only-alone-can-you-go-into-eternity-only-alone-can-you-feel-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The sound man, immune as to a sacrifice of straw dogs, faces the passing human generations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-sound-man-immune-as-to-a-sacrifice-of-straw-dogs-faces-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Karma means changing planes of reality or changing fields of attention. There will be perhaps a resulting physical action stemming from the change of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/karma-means-changing-planes-of-reality-or-changing-fields-of/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [You and I are both life. There's just the experience of every moment. We like to call them moments. There isn't really such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-and-i-are-both-life-there-s-just-the-experience-of-every-moment/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Why waste your time being around people who drag you down? You don't live forever, at least in this life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/why-waste-your-time-being-around-people-who-drag-you-down-you-don-t/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Everybody here is so caught up in the game of life they don't see death. They don't see beyond their deaths. They are on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everybody-here-is-so-caught-up-in-the-game-of-life-they-don-t-see/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) [Explore all 4,399 Frederick Lenz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## More Affirm quotes > [“If you show yourself, you will not be seen. If you affirm yourself, you will not shine. If you boast, you will have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/if-you-show-yourself-you-will-not-be-seen-if-you-affirm-yourself-you/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [To affirm a person is to see the good in them that they cannot see in themselves and to repeat it in spite of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/to-affirm-a-person-is-to-see-the-good-in-them-that-they-cannot-see-in/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“Self-affirm—build yourself up with honest and genuine praise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorii-myers/self-affirm-build-yourself-up-with-honest-and-genuine-praise/) [Lorii Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorii-myers/) > [“But if there is an ongoing, nagging disconnect between, on the one hand, what I can and must affirm to be true and good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-f-knitter/but-if-there-is-an-ongoing-nagging-disconnect-between-on-the-one-hand/) [Paul F. Knitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-f-knitter/) > [Affirm the body, beautiful and whole, The earth-expression of immortal soul. Affirm the mind, the messenger of the hour, To speed between thee and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/affirm-the-body-beautiful-and-whole-the-earth-expression-of-immortal/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [“Summoning gratitude is a sure way to get our life back on track. Opening our eyes to affirm gratitude grows the garden of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-katehakis/summoning-gratitude-is-a-sure-way-to-get-our-life-back-on-track/) [Alexandra Katehakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-katehakis/) > [Affirm: I now willingly release all negative beliefs about myself, my life and all other people. I now forgive myself for thinking I ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/affirm-i-now-willingly-release-all-negative-beliefs-about-myself-my/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [An affirmation states that a goal is already happening. I'm not crazy about this because, often when we affirm something that is not yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-harv-eker/an-affirmation-states-that-a-goal-is-already-happening-i-m-not-crazy/) [T. Harv Eker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-harv-eker/) > [We are here to affirm, not to deny... when we affirm all that is God, all that is not God is automatically denied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/we-are-here-to-affirm-not-to-deny-when-we-affirm-all-that-is-god-all/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [To affirm life is to deepen, to make more inward, and to exalt the will-to-life. At the same time the man who has become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/to-affirm-life-is-to-deepen-to-make-more-inward-and-to-exalt-the-will/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [“May all you affirm and believe be given the opportunity to manifest - day by day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleesha/may-all-you-affirm-and-believe-be-given-the-opportunity-to-manifest/) [Eleesha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleesha/) > [When you affirm your own Tightness in the universe, then you co operate with others easily and automatically as part of your own nature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-roberts/when-you-affirm-your-own-tightness-in-the-universe-then-you-co/) [Jane Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-roberts/) > [“Affirm your life's destiny & purpose to ensure - both are graciously fulfilled.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleesha/affirm-your-life-s-destiny-purpose-to-ensure-both-are-graciously/) [Eleesha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleesha/) > [Poesy must not be drawn by the ears: it must be gently led, or rather, it must lead, which was partly the cause that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-sidney/poesy-must-not-be-drawn-by-the-ears-it-must-be-gently-led-or-rather/) [Philip Sidney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-sidney/) > [“Like a pair of old slippers, I feel comfort and warmth as I slip into you. No, that is too crude. Like the match…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/like-a-pair-of-old-slippers-i-feel-comfort-and-warmth-as-i-slip-into/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) [Browse all 68 Affirm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affirm/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Whenever we do something for someone else, we affirm that we are not simply in it for ourselves, that our self is someone else, is everyone else.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frederick Lenz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/whenever-we-do-something-for-someone-else-we-affirm-that-we-are-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Affirm" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/whenever-we-do-something-for-someone-else-we-affirm-that-we-are-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/294/frederick-lenz-8_identity_whenever-we-do-something-for-someone-els_1789725.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/294/frederick-lenz-8_identity_whenever-we-do-something-for-someone-els_1789725.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/294/frederick-lenz-8_identity_whenever-we-do-something-for-someone-els_1789725.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Whenever we do something for someone else, we affirm that we are not simply in it for ourselves, that our…” — Frederick Lenz", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Frederick Lenz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Whenever we do something for someone...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/whenever-we-do-something-for-someone-else-we-affirm-that-we-are-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/whenever-we-do-something-for-someone-else-we-affirm-that-we-are-not/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```