None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
All men are children, and of one family. The same tale sends them all to bed, and wakes them in the morning.
Interpretation
Everyone shares a common human experience, regardless of age or status.
Henry David Thoreau's quote reflects on the innate childlike qualities present in all humans, suggesting that no matter how different we may seem, we are connected through our fundamental experiences in life. The 'tale' symbolizes the stories and experiences that unite us, highlighting the shared nature of our existence and the cyclical nature of life, where we all begin and end each day in similar ways.
In practice
In a discussion about human connection at a community gathering.
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
If there is a god, he is not only a wizard at leaving clues behind. More than anything, he's a master of concealment. And the world is not something that gives itself away. The heavens still keep their secrets. There is little gossip amongst the stars. But no one has forgotten the Big Bang yet. Since then, silence has reigned supreme, and every thing there is moving away. One can still come across a moon. Or a comet. Just don't expect friendly greetings. No visiting cards are printed in space.
But there comes a moment in everybody's life when he must decide whether he'll live among the human beings or not - a fool among fools or a fool alone.
Life is like a cash register, in that every account, every thought, every deed, like every sale, is registered and recorded.
What we see before us is just one tiny part of the world. We get in the habit of thinking, this is the world, but that's not true at all. The real world is a much darker and deeper place than this, and much of it is occupied by jellyfish and things.
Here then, as I lay down the pen and proceed to seal up my confession, I bring the life of that unhappy Henry Jekyll to an end.
Where the soul is full of peace and joy, outward surrounding and circumstances are of comparatively little account.
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