The Meaning of Life - Softcover

From Muhammad Ali and Maya Angelou to Oscar Wilde and Tennessee Williams, a psychologist uses quotes from respected figures to illustrate the 10 most common attitudes toward the "meaning of life" Charlie Chaplin called it "a tragedy in close-up," while Bob Dylan said it was a joke. Through the centuries, many eminent figures have opined on the meaning of life. Here, Richard Kinnier has studied quotations from hundreds of eminent people and analyzed them to determine their thoughts on life's meaning. Ten themes emerged: life is to be enjoyed, we are here to help others, the meaning of life is a mystery, life is meaningless, we are here to serve god, life is a struggle, we are here to contribute to society, we are here to seek wisdom and self-actualization, we must create meaning for ourselves, and life is absurd. Arranged by these themes, this book contains an eclectic mix of 250 quotations from "the great and the good." Some are profound, others are witty?all of them are true.

Richard Kinnier is a professor of psychology at Arizona State University.