Who said the following quote and what does it mean to you?

Question

"What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?"

Answer 1

It's from the Bible, Matthew 16:26

It means that it's not good to forsake your own values, at any cost (or gain). Don't be a sellout.

Answer 2

Jesus Christ.

Answer 3

Jesus said it....if u are eating a 100 dinner i a cozy restraunt and 5 minutes before that u just said no to a homeless man who wanted a hamburger...yep,u gained the world and lost your soul..I mean there are better treasures to build up than money, power, fame...how about the love of the Lord...there is the treasure

Answer 4

The Lord Jesus said this, warning of running after fame, fortune and material things and not seeking the true riches of God.  He is addressing the materialistic spirit of man which, I reckon, is especially a feature of the times we now live in.

That society he lived amongst was, in general, very poor and rich people were few, but nowadays even the common man in our western society is awash with possessions and his house is crammed with 'stuff'.  

Our society lives in surfeit - of food, of money, of goods, of self-indulgence - and we think that our lives consist of having more and more of these things.  Jesus' words should pull us up, turn us round, and make us see how running after these things makes for spiritual poverty and not true happiness.  But we as a society have believed the lie, haven't we?

Jesus asks 'what can a man give in exchange for his soul?' - is it not inestimably precious in God's eyes and, what God has deemed most precious, do we not sell for a trifle?  Think of Esau, who sold his birthright for a meal.  Does not our society do the same?

The dangers to our souls do not come from hard times, joblessness, poverty and want.  No, when times were harder, faith was stronger and there was more true godliness around.   But now our surfeit of goods has cheapened everything, and we think that we do not need God, that it is by our own hands that we have got these things (another lie!).  Oversupply has made us turn our backs on God - indeed, it has done us no favours!  Man with a full belly and lack of want hardens his heart to God.

What will God do about it?  He will take his hand off our grain, off our food supply, off our gold and silver, and he will allow want to come back to us.  Because, for our souls' sakes, we need to learn to care again.