None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
And I am sure that I never read any memorable news in a newspaper. If we read of one man robbed, or murdered, or killed by accident, or one house burned, or one vessel wrecked, or one steamboat blown up, or one cow run over on the Western Railroad, or one mad dog killed, or one lot of grasshoppers in the winter, - we need never read of another. One is enough. If you are acquainted with the principle, what do you care for a myriad instances and applications?
Interpretation
What this quote means
Thoreau emphasizes the idea that a single significant event can represent universal truths, reducing the need for numerous examples.
In this quote, Thoreau reflects on the nature of memorable news, suggesting that individual occurrences can encapsulate broader realities. He argues that once we understand a principle or a significant event, its essence suffices to convey deeper understanding, making further similar instances unnecessary. This perspective challenges the overwhelming amount of information we receive and encourages focusing on meaningful moments instead of becoming desensitized to numerous similar occurrences.
Themes
MemorableNewsPrincipleUnderstandingEvents
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about media consumption, this quote can highlight the importance of meaningful news.
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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