Dust Quote by John Greenleaf Whittier
“What, my soul, was thy errand here? Was it mirth or ease, Or heaping up dust from year to year? "Nay, none of these!" Speak, soul, aright in His holy sight, Whose eye looks still And steadily on thee through the night; "To do His will!”
About This Quote
Source Poem: "The Soul's Question", 1865
The soul seeks purpose beyond trivial tasks, yearning for divine will rather than fleeting pleasures.
In simple terms: Seek higher purpose over easy comforts.
Key Takeaway
Align actions with deeper purpose.
Themes
spirituality
purpose
divine will
inner conflict
Mood
contemplative
serene
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- life decisions
- daily routines
- spiritual practice
- career choices
Key Concepts
theology
existentialism
self‑inquiry
Questions to Reflect On
- What is your true calling?
- How do you differentiate between desire and duty?
A Different Perspective
Purpose can be ambiguous and hard to discern.
![“Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this [step by step, from humans to apes to monkeys to lemurs] - leading us insensibly from the crown and summit of the animal creation down to creatures, from which there is but a step, as it seems, to the…” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0b/thomas-huxley-1183_animal_perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us_3051.jpg)
