It is the true duty of every man to promote the happiness of his

“It is the true duty of every man to promote the happiness of his fellow creatures to the utmost of his power.” So declared William Wilberforce, the great reformer and champion of mercy, whose voice rose in an age of cruelty like a clarion of conscience. In these few words, he spoke the creed of the righteous heart — that life’s highest purpose is not self-glory or gain, but the lifting up of others. The world honors those who conquer lands, yet the heavens honor those who heal hearts. To promote the happiness of others is to walk in step with the divine, for in serving mankind, one serves the eternal.

Wilberforce, born into privilege, could have chosen ease and comfort, yet he devoted his life to a labor that bruised his spirit and tested his faith — the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. For decades he endured ridicule, political defeat, and physical frailty. But he believed that to turn away from the suffering of others was to betray one’s humanity. He saw that duty is not measured by convenience but by compassion, and that power, in whatever measure a person possesses it, must be used for good. When he said it is the duty of every man to promote the happiness of his fellow creatures, he did not speak from theory — he spoke from the forge of moral struggle.

Consider the long night of slavery that shadowed the eighteenth century. Men and women were chained, bought, and sold as if they were beasts. Many called it necessary; others looked away. But Wilberforce, guided by conscience and faith, refused to close his eyes. He fought not with sword or blood, but with truth and perseverance. For forty years, he stood in Parliament and in prayer, enduring mockery and exhaustion. Yet he pressed on, believing that the happiness of his fellow creatures — even those despised and enslaved — was his sacred charge. Three days before his death, the law abolishing the slave trade passed. His final breath was a victory not of politics, but of the human soul.

This, then, is the spirit of duty that Wilberforce speaks of — the sacred obligation to extend kindness, justice, and hope wherever our strength allows. It is not reserved for the mighty. Every heart that beats is capable of compassion; every hand can lift another. To promote the happiness of others does not always mean grand deeds or public triumphs — it may mean the quiet word of encouragement, the gift of patience, the choice to forgive, the courage to stand beside the fallen. When done with love, even the smallest act echoes across eternity.

The ancients, too, understood this law of the soul. Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher-emperor, wrote that man was made for cooperation, “like hands, like eyelids, like the rows of upper and lower teeth.” To live for oneself alone, he said, is to rebel against nature. Likewise, Wilberforce knew that happiness is not hoarded; it is multiplied by sharing. He saw that selfishness shrinks the spirit, while service enlarges it. The measure of a life is not how much it gathers, but how much it gives.

To live by this truth requires both humility and strength. For the world tempts us toward pride — toward the pursuit of our own comfort and praise. But the one who lives for others drinks from a deeper well. He may not be rich in gold or ease, yet his heart overflows with meaning. He walks in quiet dignity, for he serves the greatest cause of all — the betterment of his fellow beings. The joy he kindles in others becomes a mirror, reflecting light back upon his own soul.

Therefore, my children, learn from Wilberforce this lesson of holy labor: that your time upon this earth is not given for yourself alone. Seek, wherever you stand, to increase the happiness of those around you. Lift the weary. Speak peace to the troubled. Defend the voiceless. Do this not for reward, but because it is right. The measure of your power may be small or great — use it all the same, for in the eyes of eternity, every kindness is infinite.

And so, let these words be written upon your heart: “It is the true duty of every man to promote the happiness of his fellow creatures to the utmost of his power.” For the hand that lifts another does not fall, the heart that gives love is never empty, and the life that lives for others is never lost. Be thus a servant of joy, a bearer of light, and your name will live not in monuments of stone, but in the quiet blessings of those whose burdens you have made lighter.