As the arteries grow hard, the heart grows soft.
Interpretation
As people become rigid in their beliefs, they may lose their emotional capacity and compassion.
H. L. Mencken's quote suggests that as one's mindset becomes inflexible, akin to hardened arteries, the ability to empathize and feel deeply may diminish, leading to a 'softness' of character. This contrast underscores the importance of remaining open and compassionate, as rigidity can affect not only physical health but also emotional well-being and relationships with others.
In practice
During a discussion on personal growth, one might say this quote to emphasize the need for adaptability.
I know a good many men of great learning-that is, men born with an extraordinary eagerness and capacity to acquire knowledge. One and all, they tell me that they can't recall learning anything of any value in school. All that schoolmasters managed to accomplish with them was to test and determine the amount of knowledge that they had already acquired independently-and not infrequently the determination was made clumsily and inaccurately.
It takes a long while for a naturally trustful person to reconcile himself to the idea that after all God will not help him
It is the theory of all modern civilized governments that they protect and foster the liberty of the citizen; it is the practice of all of them to limit its exercise, and sometimes very narrowly.
The central belief of every moron is that he is the victim of a mysterious conspiracy against his common rights and true deserts.
The cure for the evils of democracy is more democracy.
It is my conviction that no normal man ever fell in love, within the ordinary meaning of the term, after the age of thirty.
Don't follow it blindly into every dark alley. Always remember that you are not a model or a mannequin for which the fashion is created.
A proverb is one man's wit and all men's wisdom.
The path of compassion leads to the development of insight. But it doesn't work to say, "Ready, set, go! Be compassionate!" Beginning any practice depends on intention. Intention depends on intuiting-at least a little bit-the suffering inherent in the human condition and the pain we feel, and cause, when we act out of confusion. It also depends on trusting-at least a little bit-in the possibility of a contented, satisfied mind.
Often any decision, even the wrong decision, is better than no decision.
One way to learn to do something right is to do something wrong. Failure must teach us, or surely success will not reward us.
And a mistake repeated more than once is a decision.
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