Are you thankful for not being young?' 'Yes, sir. If I was young, it would all have to be gone through again, and the end would be a weary way off, don't you see?
Interpretation
Gratitude for experience gained with age outweighs the desire for youth.
This quote by Charles Dickens reflects a sentiment of appreciation for the wisdom and experiences gained over the years. The speaker acknowledges that being young requires facing the challenges and uncertainties of life all over again, which can be exhausting, suggesting that with age comes a deeper understanding and acceptance of life’s journey.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of appreciating life's journey.
I recollected one story there was in the village, how that on a certain night in the year (it might be that very night for anything I knew), all the dead people came out of the ground and sat at the heads of their own graves till morning.
A silent look of affection and regard when all other eyes are turned coldly away-the consciousness that we possess the sympathy and affection of one being when all others have deserted us-is a hold, a stay, a comfort, in the deepest affliction, which no wealth could purchase, or power bestow.
Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than before--more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.
There are not a few among the disciples of charity who require, in their vocation, scarcely less excitement than the votaries of pleasure in theirs.
You might, from your appearance, be the wife of Lucifer,” said Miss Pross, in her breathing. “Nevertheless, you shall not get the better of me. I am an Englishwoman.
Christmas is a poor excuse every 25th of December to pick a man's pockets.
The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don't go back to sleep.
If we look at the world around us, we see that we are conditioned to not listen deeply. Because isn't that what silence is? It's a listening, a deep wordless listening.
If you want people to think out of the box, you shouldn't create the box in the first place.
The worst is that the very hardest thinking will not bring thoughts. They must come like good children of God and cry, "Here we are." You expend effort and energy thinking hard. Then, after you have given up, they come sauntering in with their hands in their pockets. If the effort had not been made to open the door, however, who knows when they could have come.
Doing what has never been done before is intellectually seductive, whether or not we deem it practical.
For the most part, we inherit our opinions. We are the heirs of habits and mental customs.
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