None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
The youth gets together his materials to build a bridge to the moon, or, perchance, a palace or temple on the earth, and, at length, the middle-aged man concludes to build a woodshed with them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the shift in aspirations from youth to middle age, highlighting how dreams can become more practical over time.
Thoreau's quote illustrates the journey of human ambition, starting from the grand dreams and boundless creativity of youth, represented by the metaphor of building a bridge to the moon. As individuals grow older, they often settle for more practical and modest achievements, symbolized by the woodshed, suggesting a transition from idealism to realism that accompanies the passage of time and experience.
Themes
YouthDreamsAmbitionAgingPracticalityTransition
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can inspire a discussion about the importance of nurturing dreams in young people during a graduation speech.
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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