1
00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:07,040
Regardless of politics, Oliver 
Wendell Holmes is widely 

2
00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:10,240
regarded as one of the most 
influential people to ever sit 

3
00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:13,760
on the Supreme Court. 
Besides writing the decision for

4
00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:17,880
many landmark cases, he is also 
the oldest person to ever sit in

5
00:00:17,880 --> 00:00:23,200
the Supreme Court. 
He died at the age of 93, just 

6
00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:25,280
two years after retiring from 
the court. 

7
00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:30,360
Shortly after his inauguration, 
President Roosevelt went to 

8
00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:33,840
visit Oliver Holmes in his home 
for his 92nd birthday. 

9
00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:37,560
President Roosevelt was 
surprised to find Judge Holmes 

10
00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:42,720
reading Plato in his spare time,
so he asked him, why do you read

11
00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:46,840
Plato, Mr. Justice? 
Equally as surprised by the 

12
00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:51,440
question, Judge Holmes responded
to improve my mind, Mr. 

13
00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:55,680
President. 
A few months before his death, 

14
00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:58,840
Judge Holmes gave one final 
interview to a national 

15
00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:03,760
newspaper in 1935. 
In the interview, he quoted his 

16
00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:07,440
own translation of a poem that 
was originally published 1500 

17
00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:11,160
years ago. 
Death plucks my ears and says 

18
00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:16,720
live for I am coming. 
In the book of Ecclesiastes, 

19
00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:20,720
Solomon, who lived a life full 
of wealth and excess, reflects 

20
00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:24,040
on the meaning of life. 
He begins by expressing A 

21
00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:26,200
sentiment that most people will 
agree with. 

22
00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:31,720
Apart from God, life is largely 
meaningless, and it's 

23
00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:37,080
unnecessarily hard. 
But in the end, Solomon has a 

24
00:01:37,080 --> 00:01:41,400
word of wisdom for the living. 
There is nothing better for men 

25
00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:44,760
than to be happy and do good 
while they live. 

26
00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:49,440
That everyone may eat and drink 
and find satisfaction in his 

27
00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:52,520
toil. 
That is the gift of God. 

28
00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:58,200
I find it striking that these 
men come to the same conclusion,

29
00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:02,480
that life and death are two 
sides of the same coin. 

30
00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:08,919
The meaning of life is simple. 
Live because death is coming. 

31
00:02:10,039 --> 00:02:16,480
That is the gift of God. 
You've been listening to 

32
00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:20,000
everyday miracles by hope, 
mindfulness, and prayer.