Page 23 - Harnessing the Strengths

6 ■ Servant-Leadership: In a Nutshell

The Hindu Bhagavad Gita states: “Through selfl ess
service, you will always be fruitful and fi nd the fulfi llment
of your desires. That is the promise of the Creator . . . he is
present in every act of service.”
And fi nally, the Buddhist text Shantideva, or the Path of
the Bodhisattva: “If I employ others for my own purposes, I
myself shall experience servitude. But if I use myself for the
sake of others, I shall experience only lordliness.”

The Ancients
Plato can be seen as one of the authors of this principle.
He named four virtues for the basis of a good life: cour-
age, righteousness, moderation, and wisdom—the pillars
of servant-leadership.
Aristotle answered the question of what is the essence
of life: “To serve others and do good.”
And the Roman orator and philosopher Cicero said:
“Men were brought into existence for the sake of men that
they might do one another good.”

The Modern Age

This idea is also visible in the modern age. For example,
Albert Schweitzer said, “The purpose of human life is to
serve and to show compassion and the will to help others.”
Martin Luther King Jr. said the same thing in a differ-
ent way: “Life’s most persistent question is: What are you
doing for others?”
The Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore was more poetic
when he philosophized, “I awoke and saw that life is ser-
vice. I acted and, behold, service was joy.”