"The purpose of life is to discover your gift... The meaning of life is to give your gift away." I love this quote, but I've heard it so many different ways, and quoted by SO many different people. For example, the first time I heard or saw this quote, it was attributed to the one and only William Shakespeare! I'm sorry, but that doesn't even make any sense... Not only does Shakespeare write in iambic pentameter, but the language of this quote is far too formal to have been written by him. If he did, it probably would have sounded more like, "The purpose of thy life is in thy gift, etc., etc." Also, it doesn't really have much to do with Shakespeare context-wise. So, no, this quote is not by Shakespeare. Furthermore, the quote has been attributed to Pablo Picasso, Emilio Santini, Joy J. Golliver, and many more. Though some of these people have actually used the quote and included in their work, the earliest version of this quote was traced to psychiatrist and author David Viscott. In his book, "Finding Your Strength in Difficult Times: A Book of Meditations", Mr. Viscott wrote,
"The purpose of life is to discover your gift.
The work of life is to develop it.
The meaning of life is to give your gift away."
Therefore, this famous quote is accredited to David Viscott.
And there you have it! The next time you see this quote, and it's attributed to someone like William Shakespeare or Pablo Picasso, you know it's not, so DON'T BE FOOLED! "David Viscott" just wasn't an artsy enough name to put on Pinterest.
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