None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright.
Interpretation
Nature has a guiding force that influences us if we are open to it.
Henry David Thoreau suggests that nature possesses a gentle, magnetic quality that can lead us in the right direction if we are receptive to its influence. This idea reflects the belief that connecting with the natural world can provide clarity and guidance in our lives, inspiring us to follow a path that aligns with our true selves.
In practice
During a speech on the importance of environmental conservation, one might use this quote to emphasize the profound connection between humans and nature.
None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Through want of enterprise and faith men are where they are, buying and selling and spending their lives like servants.
An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.
Have no mean hours, but be grateful for every hour, and accept what it brings. The reality will make any sincere record respectable.
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.
That grand old poem called Winter
The cutting of primeval forest and other disasters, fueled by the demands of growing human populations, are the overriding threat to biological diversity everywhere.
You would have thought that our first priority would be to ask what the ecologists are finding out, because we have to live within the conditions and principles they define. Instead, we've elevated the economy above ecology.
I just have this absolute belief that humans are moving away from cruelty and destruction towards a time when we can truly live in harmony with nature. When we understand that there is a spiritual power around us from which we can draw strength. That is where I believe human destiny ultimately is taking us. I just hope we have time.
Instead I will say, "Take me to your trees. Take me to your breakfasts, your sunsets, your bad dreams, your shoes, your nouns. Take me to your fingers; take me to your deaths." These are worth it. These are what I have come for.
Mankind has probably done more damage to the Earth in the 20th century than in all of previous human history.
I drive a hybrid, and we've changed our light bulbs and windows and installed solar panels and geothermal ground source heat pumps and most everything else.
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