JB/015/584/001

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270

It may be laid down as a general principle that a man
becomes rich in his own stock of pleasures in proportion to the amount he
distributes to others. His opulence will be the offspring of his
generosity. Every time he gives creates to himself a pleasure
by the communication of a pleasure or the suppression of a pain –
he advanc increases the sum of his own happiness, – directly – speedily
surely. Every time he renders a service to another he augments the amount
of his own happiness indirectly – remotely – slowly– but in
both cases his well-being gro will be added to by his benevolence.

What then? – On the occasion when Where no means are at hand
for increasing your happiness directly by an immediate employ
yourself in increasing it indirectly. In the field of active benevolence
there is always work to be done.

You have the night for repose. How better
can you employ the day than in the pursuit of happiness. You
cannot always find it add to your stock by direct means – it is surely better to
hand it do so by indirect means than not to add to it at all. Those
indirect means are labors of beneficence.

You have solitary pleasures perhaps. You
smoke your pipe – you drink your coffee alone. You do well
if your enjoyment causes nobody annoyance. But how are
your thoughts employed? They cannot be better employed
than in turning over in your mind all those opportunities
of usefulness which though they seem primarily to concern
others – yet have the faculty of bringing happiness
home to yourself.

Identifier: | JB/015/584/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 15.
Date_1		Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	015	Main Headings	deontology
Folio number	584	Info in main headings field
Image	001	Titles
Category	linking material	Number of Pages	1
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering	f270
Penner	sir john bowring	Watermarks	i i smith & son 1831
Marginals		Paper Producer	maria edgeworth
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year	1831
Notes public		ID Number	5800
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