--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The real duty of man is not to extend his…" description: "\"The real duty of man is not to extend his power or multiply his wealth beyond his needs, but to enrich and enjoy his imperishable possession: his soul...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/gilbert-highet-15158_duty_the-real-duty-of-man-is-not-to-extend-hi_879074.png" --- # The real duty of man is not to extend his power or… ![“The real duty of man is not to extend his power or multiply his wealth beyond his needs, but to enrich and enjoy his imperishable possession: his soul.” quote by Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/gilbert-highet-15158_duty_the-real-duty-of-man-is-not-to-extend-hi_879074.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/gilbert-highet-15158_duty_the-real-duty-of-man-is-not-to-extend-hi_879074.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/gilbert-highet-15158_duty_the-real-duty-of-man-is-not-to-extend-hi_879074.png) > “The real duty of man is not to extend his power or multiply his wealth beyond his needs, but to enrich and enjoy his imperishable possession: his soul.” [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True purpose is to nurture the soul, not accumulate power or wealth. **In simple terms:** Focus on enriching the soul over material gain. Key Takeaway Prioritize spiritual growth over materialism. Themes philosophy spirituality values Mood contemplative serene Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal development - ethical decision making - education Key Concepts existentialism humanism Questions to Reflect On - What practices nurture your soul? - How do you balance needs with spiritual health? A Different Perspective Material pursuits can distract from soul enrichment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Possession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possession/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) ## Related quotes > [The whole duty of man is summed up in obedience to God's will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-whole-duty-of-man-is-summed-up-in-obedience-to-god-s-will/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [The first duty of man is that of subduing fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/the-first-duty-of-man-is-that-of-subduing-fear/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [To the King, one must give his possessions and his life; but honour is a possession of soul, and the soul is only God's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-calder-n-de-la-barca/to-the-king-one-must-give-his-possessions-and-his-life-but-honour-is/) [Pedro Calderon de la Barca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-calder-n-de-la-barca/) > [Who ever is out of patience is out of possession of their soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/who-ever-is-out-of-patience-is-out-of-possession-of-their-soul/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Speech is our second possession, after the soul-and perhaps we have no other possession in this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriela-mistral/speech-is-our-second-possession-after-the-soul-and-perhaps-we-have-no/) [Gabriela Mistral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriela-mistral/) > [“A feeling, for which I have no name, has taken possession of my soul —a sensation which will admit of no analysis, to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/a-feeling-for-which-i-have-no-name-has-taken-possession-of-my-soul-a/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“Your most valuable Possession will always be your Soul – nobody can steal it, nobody can borrow it, nobody can damage it without your Permission.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sino-melo/your-most-valuable-possession-will-always-be-your-soul-nobody-can/) [Sino Melo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sino-melo/) > [He was persuaded he could know no happiness but in the society of one with whom he could for ever indulge the melancholy that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-walpole/he-was-persuaded-he-could-know-no-happiness-but-in-the-society-of-one/) [Horace Walpole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-walpole/) > [To mind your own business incorporates the whole duty of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigham-young/to-mind-your-own-business-incorporates-the-whole-duty-of-man/) [Brigham Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigham-young/) > [It is the duty of every man to uphold the dignity of every woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/it-is-the-duty-of-every-man-to-uphold-the-dignity-of-every-woman/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [The foundation of a man's duty as a man is in truth. Beyond this there is nothing to be said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torii-mototada/the-foundation-of-a-man-s-duty-as-a-man-is-in-truth-beyond-this-there/) [Torii Mototada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torii-mototada/) > [To be good, and do good, is the whole duty of man comprised in a few words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-adams/to-be-good-and-do-good-is-the-whole-duty-of-man-comprised-in-a-few/) [Abigail Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-adams/) > [Women think of being a man as a gift. It is a duty. Even making love can be a duty. A man has always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/women-think-of-being-a-man-as-a-gift-it-is-a-duty-even-making-love/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [The first duty of man is to conquer fear; he must get rid of it, he cannot act till then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/the-first-duty-of-man-is-to-conquer-fear-he-must-get-rid-of-it-he/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [The first duty of a man is to think for himself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-marti/the-first-duty-of-a-man-is-to-think-for-himself/) [Jose Marti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-marti/) ## More by Gilbert Highet > [These are not books, lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on the shelves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/these-are-not-books-lumps-of-lifeless-paper-but-minds-alive-on-the/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [The art of invective resembles the art of boxing. Very few fights are won with the straight left. It is too obvious, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/the-art-of-invective-resembles-the-art-of-boxing-very-few-fights-are/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [The wise teacher knows that 55 minutes of work plus 5 minutes laughter are worth twice as much as 60 minutes of unvaried work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/the-wise-teacher-knows-that-55-minutes-of-work-plus-5-minutes/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [Poetry is halfway between prose and music: it is sometimes like an intimate conversation, in words and phrases which need not be fully uttered,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/poetry-is-halfway-between-prose-and-music-it-is-sometimes-like-an/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [Many of the snarly bad-tempered teachers whom we remember with hatred were really nice people soured by years of anxiety and penny-pinching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/many-of-the-snarly-bad-tempered-teachers-whom-we-remember-with-hatred/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [“Books are not lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on shelves!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/books-are-not-lumps-of-lifeless-paper-but-minds-alive-on-shelves/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [What is politics but persuading the public to vote for this and support that and endure these for the promise of those?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/what-is-politics-but-persuading-the-public-to-vote-for-this-and/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [History is a strange experience. The world is quite small now; but history is large and deep. Sometimes you can go much farther by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/history-is-a-strange-experience-the-world-is-quite-small-now-but/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [“These are not books, lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on shelves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/these-are-not-books-lumps-of-lifeless-paper-but-minds-alive-on-shelves/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [Most Americans do not like poetry. We may respect it, but we do not enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/most-americans-do-not-like-poetry-we-may-respect-it-but-we-do-not/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [Nobody has ever thought himself to death. The chief danger confronting us is not age. It is laziness, sloth, routine, stupidity, - forcing their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/nobody-has-ever-thought-himself-to-death-the-chief-danger-confronting/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [The mind never need stop growing. Indeed, one of the few experiences which never pall is the experience of watching one's own mind and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/the-mind-never-need-stop-growing-indeed-one-of-the-few-experiences/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [Bad teaching wastes a great deal of effort, and spoils many lives which might have been full of energy and happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/bad-teaching-wastes-a-great-deal-of-effort-and-spoils-many-lives/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [A very wise old teacher once said: I consider a day's teaching wasted if we do not all have one hearty laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/a-very-wise-old-teacher-once-said-i-consider-a-day-s-teaching-wasted/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [He meant that when people laugh together, they cease to be young and old, master and pupils, jailer and prisoners. They become a single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/he-meant-that-when-people-laugh-together-they-cease-to-be-young-and/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) [Explore all 44 Gilbert Highet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) ## More Duty quotes > [I pray that wherever we are and whatever duties we have in the priesthood of God, we will be united in the cause to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/i-pray-that-wherever-we-are-and-whatever-duties-we-have-in-the/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [Few political debates have been as divisive as the European one. I fought as hard as I could on the Remain side, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/few-political-debates-have-been-as-divisive-as-the-european-one-i/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity; my father, who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family, who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/i-m-a-strange-mixture-of-my-mother-s-curiosity-my-father-who-grew-up/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [“Is that what they teach you at the convent? That the gods demand the hearts from our bodies?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lafevers/is-that-what-they-teach-you-at-the-convent-that-the-gods-demand-the/) [Robin LaFevers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-lafevers/) > [The less we show our love to a woman, Or please her less, and neglect our duty, The more we trap and ruin her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pushkin/the-less-we-show-our-love-to-a-woman-or-please-her-less-and-neglect/) [Alexander Pushkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pushkin/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [Consideration is the soil in which wisdom may be expected to grow, and strength be given to every up-springing plant of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/consideration-is-the-soil-in-which-wisdom-may-be-expected-to-grow-and/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“You have a right to be sad, and a duty to move on. Only wins who wipes the tears, gather strength and move forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusto-branco/you-have-a-right-to-be-sad-and-a-duty-to-move-on-only-wins-who-wipes/) [Augusto Branco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusto-branco/) > [Our duty as Christians is always to keep heaven in our eye and earth under our feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/our-duty-as-christians-is-always-to-keep-heaven-in-our-eye-and-earth/) [Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/) > [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [Regardless of how you feel about war and peace those serving military are doing a duty for the rest of us and they're protecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-cardellini/regardless-of-how-you-feel-about-war-and-peace-those-serving-military/) [Linda Cardellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-cardellini/) > [“Duty is a done deal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/duty-is-a-done-deal/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Politics...You see, it depends on what kind of politics. What we did during my father's generation was a duty. And it was beautiful because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/politics-you-see-it-depends-on-what-kind-of-politics-what-we-did/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [I do not so much rejoice that God hath made me to be a Queen, as to be a Queen over so thankful a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-i/i-do-not-so-much-rejoice-that-god-hath-made-me-to-be-a-queen-as-to-be/) [Elizabeth I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-i/) > [The whole duty of man is summed up in obedience to God's will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-whole-duty-of-man-is-summed-up-in-obedience-to-god-s-will/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) [Browse all 5,178 Duty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The real duty of man is not to extend his power or multiply his wealth beyond his needs, but to enrich and enjoy his imperishable possession: his soul.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gilbert Highet" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/the-real-duty-of-man-is-not-to-extend-his-power-or-multiply-his/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Duty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/the-real-duty-of-man-is-not-to-extend-his-power-or-multiply-his/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/gilbert-highet-15158_duty_the-real-duty-of-man-is-not-to-extend-hi_879074.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/gilbert-highet-15158_duty_the-real-duty-of-man-is-not-to-extend-hi_879074.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/gilbert-highet-15158_duty_the-real-duty-of-man-is-not-to-extend-hi_879074.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The real duty of man is not to extend his power or multiply his wealth beyond his needs, but to enrich and…” — Gilbert Highet", "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": "Gilbert Highet", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The real duty of man is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/the-real-duty-of-man-is-not-to-extend-his-power-or-multiply-his/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/the-real-duty-of-man-is-not-to-extend-his-power-or-multiply-his/#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 } } ] } ```