None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
If a plant cannot live according to its nature, it dies; and so a man.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that both plants and humans must live in accordance with their true nature to thrive; otherwise, they will perish.
Henry David Thoreau uses the analogy of a plant to emphasize that just as a plant must adhere to its natural growth conditions to survive, human beings also need to align their lives with their inherent nature and values. When individuals try to live in ways that contradict their true selves or suppress their innate tendencies, they experience stagnation or deterioration in their well-being, much like a plant that cannot grow without the right environment.
Themes
NatureSurvivalAuthenticityGrowthExistence
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about the importance of personal authenticity.
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
A man who lives unrelated to other human beings dies. But a man who lives unrelated to himself also dies.
Anais NinRead
Medicine is the keystone of the arch of socialism.
Vladimir LeninRead
The only resolution is for the aspirations of both sides to be met through two states, where Israelis and Palestinians each live in peace and security. ... Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel's right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine's. The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements.
Barack ObamaRead
Do ask yourself why you, the individual, exist, and if you can get no other answer try for once to justify the meaning of your existence as it were a posteriori by setting before yourself an aim, a goal, a 'to this end', an exalted and noble 'to this end'.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
He who loves the coming of the Lord is not he who affirms that it is far off, nor is it he who says it is near, but rather he who, whether it be far off or near, awaits it with sincere faith, steadfast hope, and fervent love.
Saint AugustineRead
Gaza is going to test who believes in the worth of human beings.
Desmond TutuRead