None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
What sort of philosophers are we, who know absolutely nothing of the origin and destiny of cats?
Interpretation
What this quote means
Thoreau questions the depth of philosophical inquiry when it overlooks the fundamental aspects of life, such as the nature of cats.
In this quote, Henry David Thoreau reflects on the limitations of philosophical thought, emphasizing that true understanding should encompass all aspects of existence, including the seemingly simple and profound nature of creatures like cats. He suggests that if philosophers neglect such fundamental questions, their wisdom is essentially inadequate, prompting a reconsideration of what it means to seek knowledge and understanding in life.
Themes
PhilosophyCatsKnowledgeExistenceUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
A speaker at a philosophical conference could use this quote to illustrate the importance of questioning fundamental aspects of life.
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
Survival in the conventional sense of the term means to continue to live, but also to live after death.
Jacques DerridaRead
It is so difficult to draw a clear line of separation between the abuse and the wholesome use of the press, that as yet we have found it better to trust the public judgment, rather than the magistrate, with the discrimination between truth and falsehood. And hitherto the public judgment has performed that office with wonderful correctness.
Thomas JeffersonRead
Most people, in fact, will not take the trouble in finding out the truth, but are much more inclined to accept the first story they hear.
ThucydidesRead
Sometimes the silence can be like thunder.
Bob DylanRead
Mass communication, radio, and especially television, have attempted, not without success, to annihilate every possibility of solitude and reflection.
Eugenio MontaleRead
Progress in thought is the assertion of individualism against authority.
Oscar WildeRead