None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
Man wanted a home, a place for warmth, or comfort, first of physical warmth, then the warmth of the affections.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the human desire for a place that provides both physical comfort and emotional connection.
Henry David Thoreau's quote reflects the fundamental human need for a home that encompasses not just physical shelter, but also emotional warmth and affection. It signifies that true comfort comes from a space where individuals can feel safe, loved, and connected with others, highlighting the dual aspects of home as both a physical and emotional sanctuary.
In practice
In a speech about community, one might quote Thoreau to highlight the importance of belonging.
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
And it was just the three of us - three bodies and two people - the three who knew what had happened and too many layers between all of us too much keeping us from one another.
It's hard to be the one always waiting. I mean, there's something to be said for the hero who charges off to battle, but when you get right down to it there's a whole story in who's left behind.
Grief can take care if itself, but to get the full value of a joy you must have somebody to divide it with.
A deep sense of love and belonging is an irreducible need of all people. We are biologically, cognitively, physically, and spiritually wired to love, to be loved, and to belong. When those needs are not met, we don't function as we were meant to. We break. We fall apart. We numb. We ache. We hurt others. We get sick.
I think for people who are inside these relationships that are really hard to leave, there is always a compelling reason to stay. It's not that they are wholly bad people.
Albert King wasn't my brother in blood, but he sure was my brother in Blues
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