None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
It is better to have your head in the clouds, and know where you are... than to breathe the clearer atmosphere below them, and think that you are in paradise.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Dreaming is valuable if it doesn't make you lose touch with reality.
This quote by Thoreau emphasizes the importance of balancing dreams and aspirations with an awareness of one's actual circumstances. It suggests that having lofty ideals and ambitions is beneficial, but one must remain grounded in reality to truly appreciate and navigate life effectively.
Themes
DreamsRealityAwarenessAspirationBalance
In practice
Example use cases
A motivational speaker might use this quote to inspire individuals to dream big while staying rooted in reality.
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
Similar quotes
I am aware that I am very old now; but I am also aware that I have never been so young as I am now, in spirit, since I was fourteen and entertained Jim Wolf with the wasps. I am only able to perceive that I am old by a mental process; I am altogether unable to feel old in spirit. It is a pity, too, for my lapses from gravity must surely often be a reproach to me. When I am in the company of very young people I always feel that I am one of them, and they probably privately resent it.
Mark TwainRead
You are your own raw material. When you know what you consist of and what you want to make of it, then you can invent yourself.
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Anxiety is the gap between the NOW and the THEN. So if you are in the NOW, you can't be anxious, because your excitement flows immediately into ongoing spontaneous activity.
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All that time I spent chasing Yale was time I could have been using to actually make a difference in the world. Bravery, not perfection, was the key that unlocked all the doors I've walked through since.
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