None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something.
Interpretation
Strive for a purpose beyond mere goodness; aim to contribute positively to the world.
This quote encourages individuals to look beyond conventional notions of morality and to pursue a deeper purpose. Thoreau suggests that simply being good is not enough; one should also aim to be good for a meaningful cause, emphasizing the importance of active engagement and contribution to society.
In practice
In a motivational speech about community service.
None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Through want of enterprise and faith men are where they are, buying and selling and spending their lives like servants.
An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.
Have no mean hours, but be grateful for every hour, and accept what it brings. The reality will make any sincere record respectable.
As every season seems best to us in its turn, so the coming in of spring is like the creation of Cosmos out of Chaos and the realization of the Golden Age.
That grand old poem called Winter
Never, in peace or war, commit your virtue or your happiness to the future. Happy work is best done by the man who takes his long-term plans somewhat lightly and works from moment to moment 'as to the Lord.' It is only our daily bread that we are encouraged to ask for. The present is the only time in which any duty can be done or any grace received.
You do not need to seek freedom in some distant land, for it exists within your own body, heart, mind, and soul.
Take what's useful, discard what is not.
[I]t is the wine that leads me on, the wild wine that sets the wisest man to sing at the top of his lungs, laugh like a fool β it drives the man to dancing... it even tempts him to blurt out stories better never told.
There is nothing so satisfying as to be shot at without effect.
A wise man's questions contain half the answer.
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