None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
From my experience with wild apples, I can understand that there may be reason for a savage's preferring many kinds of food which the civilized man rejects. The former has the palate of an outdoor man. It takes a savage or wild taste to appreciate a wild fruit.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the difference in taste and appreciation between the savage and civilized man, using wild apples as a metaphor for natural, unrefined experiences.
Henry David Thoreau's quote explores the idea that individuals who are close to nature, or who live a simpler, more primitive life, may have a deeper appreciation for things that those in civilized society often overlook or reject. He suggests that a 'savage' or untamed perspective allows for a richer, more authentic enjoyment of the natural world, exemplified by wild apples, which are often deemed inferior by those accustomed to the cultivated and refined tastes of civilization.
Themes
NatureWildAppreciationSavageCivilization
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about environmental conservation, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of appreciating natural, untamed landscapes.
More from Henry David Thoreau
All quotes →Through want of enterprise and faith men are where they are, buying and selling and spending their lives like servants.
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An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.
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Have no mean hours, but be grateful for every hour, and accept what it brings. The reality will make any sincere record respectable.
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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
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