Truth has beauty, power, and necessity.
Sylvia Townsend WarnerRead
It is best as one grows older to strip oneself of possessions, to shed oneself downward like a tree, to be almost wholly earth before one dies.
Interpretation
As we age, it is wise to let go of material possessions and become more grounded.
Sylvia Townsend Warner suggests that as we advance in age, we should focus on simplifying our lives by shedding unnecessary possessions, similar to a tree shedding leaves. This process allows us to connect more deeply with the earth and prepare ourselves for the inevitability of death, encouraging a more meaningful existence that prioritizes what truly matters.
In practice
In a speech reflecting on life's journey at a retirement ceremony.
Truth has beauty, power, and necessity.
I wish you could see the two cats drowsing side by side in a Victorian nursing chair, their paws, their ears, their tails complementarily adjusted, their blue eyes blinking open on a single thought of when I shall remember it's their supper time. They might have been composed by Bach for two flutes.
Do not be very upright in your dealings for you would see by going to the forest that straight trees are cut down while crooked ones are left standing.
Let go. Why do you cling to pain? There is nothing you can do about the wrongs of yesterday. It is not yours to judge. Why hold on to the very thing which keeps you from hope and love?
Nothing is harder than to accept oneself.
What do you want to avoid? Such an easy answer: sloth and unreliability. If you're unreliable it doesn't matter what your virtues are. You're going to crater immediately. Doing what you have faithfully engaged to do should be an automatic part of your conduct. You want to avoid sloth and unreliability.
We pay a heavy price for our fear of failure. It is a powerful obstacle to growth. It assures the progressive narrowing of the personality and prevents exploration and experimentation. There is no learning without some difficulty and fumbling. If you want to keep on learning, you must keep on risking failure-all your life.
Any man whose errors take ten years to correct is quite a man.
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