There is not a sprig of grass that shoots uninteresting to me.
Interpretation
This quote expresses a profound appreciation for the beauty and intricacy of nature, emphasizing that every small detail is fascinating.
Thomas Jefferson's quote reflects his deep admiration for nature, suggesting that even the simplest elements, like a sprig of grass, have inherent value and interest. It invites us to view the world with curiosity and appreciation, recognizing that there is beauty in every aspect of the natural environment, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.
In practice
In a speech about environmental awareness, you could use this quote to encourage others to appreciate the small details of nature.
The firmness with which the (American) people have withstood the... abuses of the press, the discernment they have manifested between truth and falsehood, show that they may safely be trusted to hear everything true and false and to form a correct judgment between them.
I, place economy among the first & most important republican virtues, & public debt as the greatest of the dangers to be feared
βWe must make our choice between economy and liberty or confusion and servitude...If we run into such debts, we must be taxed in our meat and drink, in our necessities and comforts, in our labor and in our amusements...if we can prevent the government from wasting the labor of the people, under the pretense of caring for them, they will be happy.
Very many and very meritorious were the worthy patriots who assisted in bringing back our government to its republican tack. To preserve it in that, will require unremitting vigilance.
A nation, as a society, forms a moral person, and every member of it is personally responsible for his society.
Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty.
It keeps eternal whisperings around desolate shores
Necessity is the mistress and guide of nature.
The birds I heard today, which, fortunately, did not come within the scope of my science, sang as freshly as if it had been the first morning of creation.
Plants of great vigor will almost always struggle into blossom, despite impediments. But there should be encouragement, and a free genial atmosphere for those of more timid sort, fair play for each in its own kind.
We enter solitude, in which also we lose loneliness. True solitude is found in the wild places, where one is without human obligation. Oneβs inner voices become audible. One feels the attraction of oneβs most intimate sources. In consequence, one responds more clearly to other lives. The more coherent one becomes within oneself as a creature, the more fully one enters into the communion of all creatures.
Primate and elephant and even pig societies show considerable evidence of care for others, parent-child bonding, solidarity in the face of danger, and so on.
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