None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
Almost all wild apples are handsome. They cannot be too gnarly and crabbed and rusty to look at. The gnarliest will have some redeeming traits even to the eye.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Wild apples may seem imperfect, yet they possess unique beauty.
In this quote, Thoreau reflects on the inherent beauty found in wild apples, emphasizing that even those that look rough or imperfect, often described as 'gnarly and crabbed', have redeeming qualities. This serves as a metaphor for appreciating the uniqueness and charm in nature and perhaps in life itself, suggesting that flaws can enhance beauty rather than detract from it.
Themes
Wild ApplesBeautyNatureImperfectionThoreau
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about embracing diversity, one could use this quote to illustrate how differences contribute to beauty.
More from Henry David Thoreau
All quotes βThrough want of enterprise and faith men are where they are, buying and selling and spending their lives like servants.
Henry David ThoreauRead
An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.
Henry David ThoreauRead
Have no mean hours, but be grateful for every hour, and accept what it brings. The reality will make any sincere record respectable.
Henry David ThoreauRead
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.
Henry David ThoreauRead
That grand old poem called Winter
Henry David ThoreauRead
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I believe in such cartography β to be marked by nature, not just label ourselves on a map like the names of rich men and women on buildings. We are communal histories, communal books. ... All I desired was to walk upon such an earth that had no maps.
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Business isn't some disembodied bloodless enterprise. Profit is fine - a sign that the customer honors the value of what we do. But "enterprise" ( a lovely word ) is about heart. About beauty. It's about art. About people throwing themselves on the line. It's about passion and the selfless pursuit of an ideal.
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You may drive out nature with a pitchfork, yet she'll be constantly running back.
HoraceRead
Praise is the beauty of a Christian. What wings are to a bird, what fruit is to the tree, what the rose is to the thorn, that is praise to a child of God.
Charles SpurgeonRead