Pirkei Avot 2:8
"He used to say: The more flesh, the more worms; the more maidservants, the more worry; the more wives, the more witchcraft; the more maidservants, the more lewdness; the more manservants, the more thievery.  [However] the more Torah, the more life; the more study, the more wisdom; the more counsel, the more understanding; the more charity, the more peace.  One who has gained a good reputation has gained it for his own benefit; one who has gained himself Torah knowledge, has gained himself the life of the World to Come."

The first sentence lists ways in which excess consumption leads to worries and problems.  None of these are surprising from the perspective of a spiritual leader. However the second and third sentences elucidate the benefits of study of Torah and charity.  In some ways they are surprising.  How can Torah increase our life? Torah is aytz chaim, the tree of life.  As the song goes, it is a tree of life to those who hold fast to it, and all its adherents are happy.  It is a guide to how to live, and therefore gives a meaningful life and happiness to those who cling to it. Where pursuit of material possessions brings problems, pursuit of Torah brings happiness.

How does charity bring peace?  When we focus our attention on our career, as necessary as it is to do so, we are full of worry about how things will turn out, and ultimately, our worth. However when we give charity, we have an innate sense of worth because we have made the lives of others better, and that in turn gives us a sense of worth.

However the third sentence brings us to another level.  We normally think that a good reputation has great value.  A famous perek praises the virtue of keter shaym tov-the crown of a good name.  Yet the third sentence implies that there is something incomplete about a good reputation; it is for one's own benefit alone, whereas Torah gives a person a place in the world to come.  But it would seem that a place in the world to come is also for one's own benefit.  What is the distinction that Hillel is getting at?  The benefit for oneself that one gets from a good reputation is in this world alone, and the benefit accrues solely to the person whose reputation is enhanced.  The implication is that a place in the world to come benefits others as well, by creating an influence from the world to come to this world.  This concept is difficult in a world based on science and empirical proof.  Yet it gives an ultimate sense of purpose to individuals in a world which has lost its way in material pursuits.