None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
Our science, so called, is always more barren and mixed with error than our sympathies.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Thoreau suggests that human emotions and connections often hold more truth than the flawed nature of scientific knowledge.
In this quote, Thoreau argues that the scientific understanding of the world is filled with inaccuracies and limitations, while our emotional connections and sympathies offer a deeper and more genuine insight into life. He highlights the importance of human empathy and understanding over mere empirical data, suggesting that feelings can lead us to a more meaningful existence.
Themes
ScienceEmotionsTruthSympathyUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the limitations of scientific research in addressing human issues, one might use this quote to emphasize the importance of empathy.
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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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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