To be really great in little things, to be truly noble and heroic in the insipid details of everyday life, is a virtue so rare as to be worthy of canonization.
Harriet Beecher StoweRead
A man builds a house in England with the expectation of living in it and leaving it to his children; we shed our houses in America as easily as a snail does his shell.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote contrasts the permanence of homeownership in England with the transient nature of housing in America.
Harriet Beecher Stowe's quote highlights a cultural difference between England and America regarding the concept of home. In England, houses are seen as long-term investments and legacies to pass down to future generations, symbolizing stability and permanence. In contrast, Americans often view their homes as temporary, shedding them with ease, akin to a snail discarding its shell. This reflects broader values in both societies concerning roots, belonging, and the nature of material possessions.
Themes
HomePermanenceChangeCultureLegacy
In practice
Example use cases
In a real estate discussion about market trends and cultural values.
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Once, in an age, God sends to some of us a friend who loves in us, not a false imagining, an unreal character, but, looking through all the rubbish of our imperfections, loves in us the divine ideal of our nature, — loves, not the man that we are, but the angel that we may be.
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