A Dialogue of the Upanishads

The wife of one of the sages was his best disciple. She was very good at asking wise questions. Her husband wished to leave home and go out as a wandering sannyasin. Upon her, Maitreyi, he would bestow his wealth and property. When he told her of this, Maitreyi asked her husband, "Even if I had all the wealth in the world, would that make me immortal?"
"Of course not, my dear," the Sage replied, "wealth can never take you beyond death."
"Then what shall I do with it? You are a man with Knowledge; please tell me about that which is worth more than wealth."
"Maitreyi", he replied, "wealth is never loved for its own sake, but for the Atman, the Self which is within the wealth. No husband loves his wife for the sake of the wife, nor any mother her children for their own sake. It is the presence of the Self inside which makes anything dear to anyone. And the Self in you is the same as the Self in all. This Self must be discovered, my dear, by hearing of it, thinking about it and meditating upon it. For that Self is immortality; that is Brahman. Try to discover that."