The world is not so much in need of new thoughts as that when thought grows old and worn with usage it should, like current coin, be called in, and, from the mint of genius, reissued fresh and new.
Interpretation
Creative ideas can become stale and need to be refreshed to remain valuable.
This quote suggests that society does not necessarily require entirely new ideas but rather a rejuvenation of existing thoughts that have become old and overused. Just as currency must be replaced to retain its worth, so too must our thoughts and perspectives be revitalized and reimagined to maintain their relevance and impact.
In practice
During a conference on creativity, this quote could be used to highlight the importance of revisiting and refreshing established ideas.
Looking forward into an empty year strikes one with a certain awe, because one finds therein no recognition. The years behind have a friendly aspect, and they are warmed by the fires we have kindled, and all their echoes are the echoes of our own voices.
My garden, with its silence and pulses of fragrance that come and go on the airy undulations, affects me like sweet music. Care stops at the gates, and gazes at me wistfully through the bars.
Fame is but an inscription on a grave, and glory the melancholy blazon on a coffin lid.
Love is but the discovery of ourselves in others, and the delight in the recognition.
Books are a finer world within the world. (1863)
A man does not plant a tree for himself; he plants it for posterity.
It's not the situation, but whether we react, or respond, to the situation that's important.
My grandmother always told me that regardless of what the world gives you, stay humble. Stay strong in your beliefs, and be honest. And when you're wrong, be a man and say you're wrong. And be strong when you're right.
Writing about the indignities of old age: the daunting stairway to the restaurant restroom, the benefits of a wheelchair in airports and its disadvantages at cocktail parties, giving the user what he described as a child's-eye view of the party and a crotch-level view of the guests. Dying is a matter of slapstick and pratfalls. The aging process is not gradual or gentle. It rushes up, pushes you over and runs off laughing. No one should grow old who isn't ready to appear ridiculous.
Choose silence of all virtues, for by it you hear other men's imperfections, and conceal your own.
Don't think that because you have to go down in the wash-tub that you are any less a lady!
Conceit spoils the finest genius. There is not much danger that real talent or goodness will be overlooked long; even if it is, the consciousness of possessing and using it well should satisfy one, and the great charm of all power is modesty.
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