The Quiet Revolution of a Meaningful Life
Why a meaningful life outlasts a happy one—and how that belief fuels everything I build.
“I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be ‘happy.’
I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be honorable, to be compassionate.
It is, above all, to matter: to count, to stand for something, to have it make some difference that you lived at all.”
— Leo Rosten (1908–1997)
I stumbled upon these words of Leo Rosten while reading “Moral Ambition: Stop Wasting Your Talent and Start Making a Difference” by Rutger Bregman.
We live in a time obsessed with happiness. Industries are built around it. Social media preaches it. Marketing exploits it. If you're not constantly joyful, the world suggests you're doing life wrong.
But what if happiness was never the point?
Leo Rosten was a writer, humorist, and philosopher of sorts. His quote offers a radical reframe. He challenges the idea that life’s purpose is to feel good, proposing instead that the point of life is to do good. To be useful. To take responsibility. To live with honor. To show compassion. Above all, to matter.
This single quote from Rosten contains a quiet but powerful rebellion. It resists the cultural pressure to chase comfort and instead calls us toward contribution. In that way, it speaks directly to the heart of everything I teach, write, and build—from “Fix Your Why” to my podcast Building the Rich Life, from my Stoicism series to my new book, “The Fulfillment Curve,” from my building and construction brands, Molto Imports, Epicure Group, and The High-Performance Home.
Meaning Over Happiness
Modern psychology now distinguishes between two types of well-being:
Hedonic happiness—pleasure, ease, satisfaction.
Eudaimonic well-being—meaning, purpose, virtue.
Rosten’s words fall squarely in the latter camp. He doesn’t deny happiness; he simply places it in its rightful position: not as a goal, but as a byproduct of a well-lived life.
He asks us to recalibrate:
Are we chasing happiness at the expense of impact?
Are we performing success instead of practicing significance?
Fix Your Why: Purpose as Anchor
Rosten’s call to be useful, honorable, and responsible speaks to the very premise of “Fix Your Why:” that purpose is not optional—it’s foundational.
Your why is not about chasing bliss. It’s about anchoring your life to what matters most, especially when it’s hard. It's the inner compass that steers you toward meaningful contribution, even when it doesn’t come with applause.
Your why is not a feeling. It’s a commitment—one that echoes long after you're gone.
Building the Rich Life: Redefining Success
We’ve been sold a version of “rich” that revolves around accumulation. But what if richness wasn’t about more—what if it was about meaning?
In Building the Rich Life, I’ve redefined success as depth, alignment, beauty, and contribution. And Rosten’s words are a reminder that the deepest form of wealth is to matter.
We’re not here to impress. We’re here to stand for something. That’s the kind of richness that endures.
Epicure: Elevating the Everyday
At Epicure, we believe your home should be more than impressive—it should be intentional.
Whether it's a beautifully staged listing, a thoughtfully remodeled residence, or a white-glove concierge service, our goal isn’t simply luxury for luxury’s sake. It’s to create and care for homes that support the rich life—a life rooted in meaning, clarity, beauty, and contribution.
There’s no shortage of opulence in today’s market. But what’s rare is elegance with integrity. Spaces that don’t just look the part but feel aligned with the people who live in them.
That’s where Epicure stands apart.
Through:
Epicure Fine Homes: Curated real estate experiences that connect people with homes that fit more than just a checklist—they fit a vision.
HOME by Epicure: Bespoke remodeling and building solutions that bring intention, performance, and aesthetic harmony into every detail.
Epicure Concierge: Full-service property care that honors the homes we serve—and the lives inside them.
We’re not here to manage assets. We’re here to elevate the everyday. Because when your environment supports your values, life becomes not only more beautiful—but more meaningful.
The High-Performance Home: A Blueprint for What Matters
At The High-Performance Home (HPH), we ask one question that changes everything: What if a house could support the life you’re meant to live?
Too often, homes are built for profit, not people. Designed for the market, not for meaning. At HPH, we’re changing that.
We believe that high performance isn’t just about efficiency or engineering—it’s about alignment. It's about creating a home that performs so well it disappears into your life—quietly supporting your routines, your energy, your well-being.
Every component we test, certify, and integrate—from water-saving faucets to smart storage solutions—is chosen not for trend, but for function and integrity. Our approach is both visionary and deeply pragmatic:
We build systems that simplify complexity.
We design assemblies that save time and elevate standards.
We partner with trade professionals who value excellence over expedience.
Our concept homes and certified assemblies are more than products. They’re a philosophy made physical—one that honors the human experience, supports the climate, and proves that better building is possible now.
Because to matter in this industry is to lead—not just with design, but with conscience.
Not just with innovation, but with intention.
Molto Imports: Beauty with Integrity
This principle even applies in what may seem like the most material of spaces: design and architecture. At Molto Imports, we bring cabinetry, vanities, and storage systems from Italy to homes here in the U.S.—not simply because they’re beautiful, but because they represent craftsmanship that means something.
We believe that beauty should serve life, not distract from it. That design should elevate the everyday, not inflate ego. That even the smallest elements—how a drawer closes, how a closet system fits—can be part of a life built with care and integrity.
It’s not just about imported goods. It’s about imported standards.
Through Molto, we strive to bring meaning into the built environment—reminding people that how we live is shaped by what we live with.
The Fulfillment Curve: Becoming, Not Accumulating
My new and upcoming book, “The Fulfillment Curve” argues that achievement alone is not enough. We live in a culture of chasing—more success, more milestones, more approval. But chasing without alignment leads to exhaustion, not joy.
Rosten anticipates this truth. He knew that fulfillment is not about getting more—it’s about becoming more. Becoming useful. Becoming compassionate. Becoming someone who leaves a mark—not by climbing higher, but by giving deeper.
The Stoic Thread: Virtue as Victory
Rosten’s quote is deeply Stoic. It channels the wisdom of Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius: that life’s purpose is not pleasure, but virtue.
Stoicism teaches us to measure life not by what we feel, but by how we live. And Rosten’s virtues—usefulness, responsibility, honor, compassion—map beautifully onto the four Stoic pillars: wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance.
To matter, in the Stoic sense, is to fulfill our human nature through contribution. To live not just for ourselves, but for the world we touch.
The Manifesto of a Life That Matters
This simple phrase—the purpose of life is to matter—is the thread that ties together all of my work. It’s the heart of the frameworks I’ve built. And so, I offer this unified manifesto—not as a conclusion, but as an invitation:
We were not born merely to be happy.
We were born to mean something.
Happiness may visit us. But it cannot lead us. It’s not a compass. It’s a consequence—of showing up fully, giving what we have, and standing for what we believe.
The world will tempt us to chase. More applause. More achievement. More comfort.
But the truth is: more is not meaning.
Meaning is built.
Brick by brick. Choice by choice.
It’s built when we fix our why—and live it.
It’s built when we align our actions with our values, not our moods.
It’s built when we trade performance for purpose.
This is the heart of the Rich Life: Not a life filled with things, but with integrity, beauty, and contribution. A life that reflects who we are—at our core, when no one is watching.
We believe that:
Purpose is not found. It’s forged.
Stillness is not a luxury. It’s a practice.
Virtue is not idealism. It’s leadership.
Fulfillment is not ease. It’s alignment.
We reject the hollow promise of “someday.”
We do not wait for permission.
We do not outsource meaning.
Instead, we choose:
To be useful over impressive.
To be honorable over comfortable.
To be awake over entertained.
To matter, not just succeed.
We understand that the richest life is not the easiest—it’s the most intentional. A life with depth. With clarity. With weight.
And when we reach the end, may it be said not that we were happy, but that we counted. That we stood for something.
That because we lived, the world was, in some small way, better.
What’s Next
In the coming weeks, I’ll be diving deeper into this through a series of reflections and tools from across my brands:
A new workbook excerpt from The Fulfillment Curve
A Stoic practice on stillness and meaning
A leadership filter from Fix Your Why
And a new visual from Building the Rich Life
And more…
If you believe life is more than a highlight reel—if you’re ready to matter—you’re in the right place.
Let’s build something meaningful. Together.