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Rediscovering Will Durant’s On the Meaning of Life

Some books arrive quietly but linger for years in your thoughts. For me, Will Durant’s On the Meaning of Life is one of those. I first read it a few years ago, but yesterday, while listening to a podcast discussion, I felt as though I was meeting it again for the first time — and was reminded of just how great it really is.

Durant wrote the book in the early 1930s, during a period of personal uncertainty. He reached out to some of the greatest thinkers of his time — Gandhi, Bertrand Russell, H. L. Mencken, and others — asking them a deceptively simple question: “What keeps you going? What makes life worth living?” Their answers, paired with Durant’s reflections, form a mosaic of human purpose: love, work, knowledge, beauty, and service to others.

“The meaning of life… must lie within itself; it must be independent of individual death, even of national decay … The simplest meaning of life, then, is joy … sheer satisfaction of muscle and sense, of palate and ear and eye…” endev42+1The Mortal Atheist

What struck me then—and even more now—is how personal the responses feel. I was especially moved by the last person in the book—a prisoner—whose way of seeing life radiated a kind of freedom that no walls could contain. It made me reflect on how the human spirit can remain unbounded by hardship.

I also found myself wondering about the musician’s perspective: someone whose life is shaped by sound, rhythm, and harmony. Music exists in that liminal space between the tangible and the eternal—how might that color one’s view of life’s purpose?

The introduction is fantastic—setting up not just the question, but the vulnerability of asking it:

“It is not merely the War of 1914 that has plunged us into pessimism … it is not our homes and our treasuries that are empty, it is our ‘hearts.’” philosophicalsociety.com

And the closure feels like a gentle hand on the shoulder, guiding you toward your own answer. Durant doesn’t dictate a single “truth” but invites you into the conversation.

“The whole thing [life] is a ‘Racket,’ so get a few laughs, do the best you can, take nothing serious … and don’t start ‘seeking knowledge,’ for the more you seek the nearer the ‘Booby Hatch’ you get.” Sloww+1Goodreads

Reading it years ago opened a door; revisiting it through a podcast reminded me that the question of life’s meaning isn’t one you answer once—it’s a conversation you return to again and again. Each time, the answer might shift, but remain no less true.

And yet, compared to Durant’s era, today feels different. While he favoured enduring values—love, learning, beauty, service—many now chase quick dopamine hits and fleeting pleasures. The pace of modern life makes it easy to trade depth for instant gratification, but it also makes Durant’s questions more urgent. If we don’t pause to ask what truly matters, the answer may slip away in the noise.

References

• Durant, W. On the Meaning of Life. “The meaning of life… must lie within itself…” The Mortal Atheist+2endev42+2

• Durant, W. On the Meaning of Life. “It is not merely the War of 1914…” en.wikipedia.org+7philosophicalsociety.com+7Goodreads+7

• Durant, W. On the Meaning of Life. “The whole thing [life] is a ‘Racket,’…” Goodreads