„Your soul doesn't care what you do for a living - and when your life is over, neither will you. Your soul cares only about what you are being while you are doing whatever you are doing.“

„It's what you do that makes your soul.“

—  Barbara Kingsolver American author, poet and essayist 1955

„It does not matter so much what you do. What matters is whether your soul is harmed by what you do.“

—  Albert Schweitzer French-German physician, theologian, musician and philosopher 1875 - 1965

Reverence for Life (1969)
Contexto: I do not want to frighten you by telling you about the temptations life will bring. Anyone who is healthy in spirit will overcome them. But there is something I want you to realize. It does not matter so much what you do. What matters is whether your soul is harmed by what you do. If your soul is harmed, something irreparable happens, the extent of which you won't realize until it will be too late.

„If God is a reality, and the soul is a reality, and you are an immortal being, what are you doing with your Bible shut?“

—  Herrick Johnson American clergyman 1832 - 1913

Fonte: Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895), P. 38.

„Life must not cease. That comes before everything. It is silly to say you do not care. You do care. It is that care that will prompt your imagination; inflame your desires; make your will irresistible; and create out of nothing.“

—  George Bernard Shaw Irish playwright 1856 - 1950

The Serpent, in Pt. I, Act I
1920s, Back to Methuselah (1921)

„The moment is your only duty. Your duty at any time in your life is to do what you have to do from moment to moment. What you have to do is what you cannot avoid doing. What you cannot avoid doing is what you do.“

—  Barry Long Australian spiritual teacher and writer 1926 - 2003

Knowing Yourself: The True in the False (1996)

„When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life.“

—  Jean Shinoda Bolen American psychiatrist 1936

„Whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it's because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It's your mission on earth.“

—  Paulo Coelho, livro O Alquimista

Fonte: The Alchemist

„All through your life your soul takes care of you… your soul is alive and awakened, gathering, sheltering and guiding your ways and days in the world. In effect, your soul is your secret shelter.“

—  John O'Donohue Irish writer, priest and philosopher 1956 - 2008

Fonte: Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom

„When peoples care for you and cry for you, they can straighten out your soul.“

—  Langston Hughes American writer and social activist 1902 - 1967

„Life is a compromise of what your ego wants to do, what experience tells you to do, and what your nerves let you do.“

—  Walter Bagehot British journalist, businessman, and essayist 1826 - 1877

„What kind of living will it be when you - Oh, God! Would you like to live with your soul in the grave?“

—  Emily Brontë, livro O Morro dos Ventos Uivantes

Fonte: Wuthering Heights

„Live all you can — it's a mistake not to. It doesn't so much matter what you do in particular, so long as you have your life. If you haven't had that, what have you had?“

—  Henry James, livro The Ambassadors

Fonte: The Ambassadors (1903), book V, ch. II.
Contexto: Live all you can — it's a mistake not to. It doesn't so much matter what you do in particular, so long as you have your life. If you haven't had that, what have you had?.. What one loses one loses; make no mistake about that... The right time is any time that one is still so lucky as to have.. Live!

„Life doesn't do anything to you. It only reveals your spirit.“

—  John C. Maxwell American author, speaker and pastor 1947

„Do not leave your reputation to chance or gossip; it is your life's artwork, and you must craft it, hone it, and display it with the care of an artist.“

—  Robert Greene, livro The 48 Laws of Power

Fonte: The 48 Laws of Power

„There will be only one standard, the standard of survival at all cost, and it will be up to you to say at what price survival. Hold your head high, and if you are going to go down, go down knowing you have not in any way compromised your soul.
Pulling him by the arm, Babushka said “That’s enough. Tania, you do whatever you have to do to survive, and damn your soul.”“

—  Paullina Simons, livro The Bronze Horseman

The Bronze Horseman (2001)

„When you are sixteen you do not know what your parents know, or much of what they understand, and less of what's in their hearts. This can save you from becoming an adult too early, save your life from becoming only theirs lived over again - which is a loss. But to shield yourself - as I didn't do - seems to be an even greater error, since what's lost is the truth of your parents' life and what you should think about it, and beyond that, how you should estimate the world you are about to live in.“

—  Richard Ford American novelist and short story writer 1944

Fonte: Wildlife (1990), p. 18

„Don’t you get an empty feeling in your soul when you have a blank to-do list?“

—  Douglas Coupland, livro JPod

JPod (2006)

„But whatever you do, find the God-centered, Christ-exalting, Bible-saturated passion of your life, and find your way to say it and live for it and die for it. And you will make a difference that lasts. You will not waste your life.“

—  John Piper American writer 1946

Fonte: Don't Waste Your Life

„I believe it doesn't matter what it is, as long as you can find something concrete to keep you busy while you are living your meaningless life.“

—  Ruth Ozeki, livro A Tale for the Time Being

Fonte: A Tale for the Time Being