The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not, and never persist in trying to set people right.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
The best stock a man can invest in, is the stock of a farm; the best shares are plow shares; and the best banks are the fertile banks of a rural stream; the more these are broken the better dividends they pay.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Investing in agriculture yields the highest returns in life.
Henry Ward Beecher's quote emphasizes the importance of investing in the land and agriculture as a means of sustaining life and achieving prosperity. It highlights that true wealth comes not from financial markets but from nurturing the earth, where the brokenness of the soil actually leads to greater yields, symbolizing the rewards of hard work and stewardship of the natural world.
Themes
InvestmentAgricultureWealthLandNatureProsperity
In practice
Example use cases
Quoting this during a speech about sustainable farming practices.
More from Henry Ward Beecher
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We are always on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things.
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No man can tell if he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has.
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There are joys which long to be ours. God sends ten thousands truths, which come about us like birds seeking inlet; but we are shut up to them, and so they bring us nothing, but sit and sing awhile upon the roof, and then fly away.
Henry Ward BeecherRead
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