None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
We seem but to linger in manhood to tell the dreams of our childhood, and they vanish out of memory ere we learn the language.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that as adults, we often reminisce about our childhood dreams which fade away before we can fully comprehend them.
Henry David Thoreau reflects on the fleeting nature of childhood dreams and the adult experience of trying to articulate these dreams. He implies that in adulthood, we spend our time reminiscing about our youth, yet the essence of those dreams often eludes us, dissipating from our memory even as we attempt to express them.
Themes
DreamsChildhoodMemoryManhoodLife
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared at a graduation speech to inspire young adults to remember their childhood dreams as they step into the future.
More from Henry David Thoreau
All quotes βThrough 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.
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That grand old poem called Winter
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