None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
But why should not the New Englander try new adventures - not lay so much stress on his grain, his potato and grass crop, and his orchards - and raise other crops than these? Why concern ourselves so much about our beans for seed, and not be concerned at all about a new generation of men.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Thoreau encourages people to embrace new experiences and focus on personal growth rather than being overly attached to traditional ways of living.
In this quote, Henry David Thoreau expresses a desire for individuals, particularly those in New England, to break away from conventional agricultural practices and explore new opportunities. He emphasizes that while it's important to tend to crops, it is equally vital to nurture and cultivate the human spirit and potential for innovation, suggesting that personal and societal growth should take precedence over mere adherence to tradition.
Themes
ChangeGrowthAdventureInnovationTradition
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a motivational speech about embracing change in life.
More from Henry David Thoreau
All quotes →Through 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.
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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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I recalled how much time i had spent fighting for something i didn't even want. maybe because i had been too lazy to think of other avenues to follow. maybe because i had been afraid of what others would think. maybe because it was hard work to be different. perhaps, because a human being is condemned to repeat the steps taken by the previous generation until a certain number of people begin to behave in a different fashion. then the world changes, and we change with it.
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