None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
I believe that the mind can be permanently profaned by the habit of attending to trivial things, so that all our thoughts shall be tinged with triviality.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the dangers of focusing on trivial matters, suggesting that it can degrade the quality of our thinking.
Henry David Thoreau warns against the detrimental effects of fixating on insignificant details. He suggests that constant attention to trivialities corrupts the mind, leading to a life devoid of depth and meaning, as our thoughts become influenced by the inconsequential rather than the profound. This highlights the importance of prioritizing what truly matters in life to maintain clarity and wisdom.
Themes
MindTrivialityThoughtsAttentionDepth
In practice
Example use cases
In a seminar about mindfulness, this quote could illustrate the importance of focusing on what matters.
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.
Henry David ThoreauRead
An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.
Henry David ThoreauRead
Have no mean hours, but be grateful for every hour, and accept what it brings. The reality will make any sincere record respectable.
Henry David ThoreauRead
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.
Henry David ThoreauRead
That grand old poem called Winter
Henry David ThoreauRead
Similar quotes
She was in that highly-wrought state when the reasoning powers act with great rapidity: the state a man is in before a battle or a struggle, in danger, and at the decisive moments of life - those moments when a man shows once and for all what he is worth, that his past was not lived in vain but was a preparation for these moments.
Leo TolstoyRead
We donβt have faith that #freedom works. We have evidence.
Thomas SowellRead
There is only one way by which I can get right with God, and that is through the death of Jesus Christ. I must get rid of the underlying idea that I can ever be right with God because of my obedience. Who of us could ever obey God to absolute perfection!
Oswald ChambersRead
The minor choices we make are themselves a kind of vote. Our words and gestures, or their absence, count very much.
Timothy D. SnyderRead
To use what has a boundary to pursue what is limitless is dangerous; with this knowledge, if we still go after knowledge, we will run into trouble. Do not do what is good in order to gain praise. If you do what is bad be sure to avoid the punishment. Follow the Middle Course, for this is the way to keep yourself together, to sustain your life, to care for your parents and to live for many years.
ZhuangziRead
When the gospel is at stake, everything is at stake.
R. C. SproulRead