None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
If I devote myself to other pursuits and contemplations, I must first see, at least, that I do not pursue them sitting upon another man's shoulders. I must get off him first, that he may pursue his contemplations too.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of individual autonomy in one's pursuits and thoughts, rather than relying on others.
Henry David Thoreau stresses the necessity of personal independence when engaging in one’s own thoughts and endeavors. He suggests that before pursuing our own interests, we must ensure that we are not standing on the metaphorical shoulders of others, implying that we should respect their space and contributions. This reflects a deeper philosophical discourse on the nature of self-reliance and the need for individuals to carve out their own paths without hindrance from others.
In practice
During a motivational speech on personal development.
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
The possible ranks higher than the actual.
Nothing in our lives is a mere insignificant detail to God.
We have Christians against Muslims against Jews, and no matter how liberal your theology, merely identifying yourself as a Christian or a Jew lends tacit validity to this status quo. People have morally identified with a subset of humanity rather than with humanity as a whole.
To hate man and worship God seems to be the sum of all the creeds.
Hope is called the anchor of the soul because it gives stability to the Christian life. But hope is not simply a 'wish' I wish that such-and-such would take place rather, it is that which latches on to the certainty of the promises of the future that God has made.
I've always been more comfortable sinking while clutching a good theory than swimming with an ugly fact.
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