None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
Society is commonly too cheap. We meet at very short intervals, not having had time to acquire any new value for each other. We meet at meals three times a day, and give each other a new taste of that old musty cheese that we are.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Thoreau reflects on the superficiality of social interactions and the need for deeper connections.
In this quote, Thoreau critiques the shallow nature of social gatherings, suggesting that frequent meetings among individuals often lack substance and depth. He uses the metaphor of sharing 'old musty cheese' to illustrate how repetitive interactions fail to foster growth or new understanding, indicating that meaningful relationships require time and diversity of experience to develop truly valuable connections.
Themes
SocialRelationshipsValueConnectionDepth
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about modern friendships, one might use this quote to emphasize the need for deeper connections.
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.
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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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