None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
A friend is one who incessantly pays us the compliment of expecting from us all the virtues, and who can appreciate them in us. The friend asks no return but that his friend will religiously accept and wear and not disgrace his apotheosis of him. They cherish each other's hopes. They are kind to each other's dreams.
Interpretation
True friends expect the best from each other and value each other's aspirations without seeking anything in return.
In this quote, Thoreau emphasizes the nature of genuine friendship, where friends uplift and inspire each other by recognizing and nurturing the virtues present in one another. This mutual appreciation creates a bond where each friend cherishes the other's dreams and hopes, fostering a supportive environment that transcends mere companionship.
In practice
During a toast at a wedding to celebrate the bonds of friendship.
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
To let friendship die away by negligence and silence is certainly not wise. It is voluntarily to throw away one of the greatest comforts of the weary pilgrimage.
A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours. Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things-a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight. And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty.
I truly believed that the cost of success for us shouldn't be the cost of failure for a good friend.
This was the door to both sustenance and sanity. And we were each other's key.
I'll lift you and you lift me, and we'll both ascend together.
You cannot be friends upon any other terms than upon the terms of equality.
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