LOVE LIFE & WORK BEING A BOOK OF OPINIONS REASONABLY GOOD-NATURED CONCERNING HOW TO ATTAIN THE HIGHEST HAPPINESS FOR ONE'S SELF WITH THE LEAST POSSIBLE HARM TO OTHERS 1906 By ELBERT HUBBARD CONTENTS CHAPTERS 1. A Prayer 2. Life and Expression 3. Time and Chance 4. Psychology of a Religious Revival 5. One-Man Power 6. Mental Attitude 7. The Outsider 8. Get Out or Get in Line 9. The Week-Day, Keep it Holy 10. Exclusive Friendships 11. The Folly of Living in the Future 12. The Spirit of Man 13. Art and Religion 14. Initiative 15. The Disagreeable Girl 16. The Neutral 17. Reflections on Progress 18. Sympathy, Knowledge and Poise 19. Love and Faith 20. Giving Something for Nothing 21. Work and Waste 22. The Law of Obedience 23. Society's Saviors 24. Preparing for Old Age 25. An Alliance With Nature 26. The Ex. Question 27. The Sergeant 28. The Spirit of the Age 29. The Grammarian 30. The Best Religion A Prayer The supreme prayer of my heart is not to be learned, rich, famous, powerful, or "good," but simply to be radiant. I desire to radiate health, cheerfulness, calm courage and good will. I wish to live without hate, whim, jealousy, envy, fear. I wish to be simple, honest, frank, natural, clean in mind and clean in body, unaffected--ready to say "I do not know," if it be so, and to meet all men on an absolute equality--to face any obstacle and meet every difficulty unabashed and unafraid. I wish others to live their lives, too--up to their highest, fullest and best. To that end I pray that I may never meddle, interfere, dictate, give advice that is not wanted, or assist when my services are not needed. If I can help people, I'll do it by giving them a chance to help themselves; and if I can uplift or inspire, let it be by example, inference, and suggestion, rather than by injunction and dictation. That is to say, I desire to be radiant--to radiate life. Life and Expression By exercise of its faculties the spirit grows, just as a muscle grows strong thru continued use. Expression is necessary. Life is expression, and repression is stagnation--death. Yet, there can be right and wrong expression. If a man permits his life to run riot and only the animal side of his nature is allowed to express itself, he is repressing his highest and best, and the qualities not used atrophy and die. Men are punished by their sins, not for them. Sensuality, gluttony, and the life of license repress the life of the spirit, and the soul never blossoms; and this is what it is to lose one's soul. All adown the centuries thinking men have noted these truths, and again and again we find individuals forsaking in horror the life of the senses and devoting themselves to the life of the spirit. This question of expression through the spirit, or through the senses--through soul or body--has been the pivotal point of all philosophy and the inspiration of all religion.