Chapter 48 Chapter Summary

For the standards by which to judge a meaningful life, Wolf looks at the questions people ask on their deathbeds, in times of crisis, and in moments of considering major life choices. She also considers paradigm lives of meaning—Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Albert Einstein—and meaninglessness—Thoreau’s “lives of quiet desperation” and the mythical Sisyphus. Wolf concludes that a meaningful life is a life of active engagement in projects of worth. “Active engagement” is a subjective criterion, meaning that one is excited, involved, and passionate about one’s projects. “Projects of worth” is an objective criterion, meaning that one’s projects are objectively valuable and worthwhile.