The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not, and never persist in trying to set people right.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
We should live and labor in our time that what came to us as a seed may go to the next generation as blossom, and what came to us as blossom, may go to them as fruit. This is what we mean by progress.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of nurturing what we receive to ensure future generations can benefit from it.
Henry Ward Beecher's quote highlights the responsibility we have in cultivating the resources, knowledge, and experiences we inherit, so that future generations can reap the rewards. It speaks to the cyclical nature of progress, where we contribute to growth and advancement by transforming what we receive into something greater, benefiting those who come after us.
Themes
ProgressFutureGrowthResponsibilityGenerations
In practice
Example use cases
A speaker at a sustainability conference may quote this to emphasize environmental stewardship.
More from Henry Ward Beecher
All quotes →A man who cannot get angry is like a stream that cannot overflow, that is always turbid. Sometimes indignation is as good as a thunderstorm in summer, clearing and cooling the air.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
No one can deal with the hearts of men unless he has the sympathy which is given by love.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
We are always on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
No man can tell if he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
There are joys which long to be ours. God sends ten thousands truths, which come about us like birds seeking inlet; but we are shut up to them, and so they bring us nothing, but sit and sing awhile upon the roof, and then fly away.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
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