None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
But what is quackery? It is commonly an attempt to cure the diseases of a man by addressing his body alone. There is need of a physician who shall minister to both soul and body at once, that is, to man. Now he falls between two stools.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Quackery addresses only physical ailments, neglecting the holistic nature of human well-being.
In this quote, Thoreau critiques the narrow approach of quackery, which treats physical bodies in isolation from the mind and spirit. He emphasizes the importance of addressing both the physical and spiritual aspects of a person for true healing, suggesting that a comprehensive approach is needed to care for the whole being.
Themes
QuackeryHealingHolisticBodySoul
In practice
Example use cases
In a health seminar discussing the importance of holistic approaches to medicine.
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.
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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.
Henry David ThoreauRead
That grand old poem called Winter
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