“The one who plants trees, knowing that he or she will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life.”

This phrase is often attributed to Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, a Jewish sage who lived in the 1st century CE, but also to Nelson Henderson, who is said to have expressed a similar version:

“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”

However, there is no single, definitive source for this quote, so it is sometimes cited as a proverb or an anonymous saying of popular wisdom.

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