None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
Every man who has ever been earnest to preserve his higher or poetic faculties in the best condition, has been particularly inclined to abstain from animal food
Interpretation
Thoreau suggests that those dedicated to cultivating their artistic and spiritual selves often avoid consuming meat.
In this quote, Thoreau conveys the idea that individuals who are truly committed to nurturing their higher sensibilities, such as creativity and spirituality, tend to refrain from eating animal products. He associates a vegetarian lifestyle with a deeper engagement in the poetic and thoughtful aspects of life, implying that such choices can enhance one's connection to higher ideals and foster a more profound existence.
In practice
During discussions on dietary choices at a wellness retreat.
None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Through want of enterprise and faith men are where they are, buying and selling and spending their lives like servants.
An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.
Have no mean hours, but be grateful for every hour, and accept what it brings. The reality will make any sincere record respectable.
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.
That grand old poem called Winter
The Right insists that anyone can escape poverty by working hard but that is simply not the case.
To overcome difficulties is to experience the full delight of existence.
The practice of altruism is the authentic way to live as a human being, and it is not just for religious people. As human beings, our purpose is to live meaningful lives, to develop a warm heart. There is meaning in being everyone's friend. The real source of peace amongst our families, friends and neighbours is love and compassion.
My sin burdened me heavily. But when I measured it against Your Grace, O Lord, Your forgiveness came out greater.
She felt a stealing sense of fatigue as she walked; the sparkle had died out of her, and the taste of life was stale on her lips. She hardly knew what she had been seeking, or why the failure to find it had so blotted the light from her sky: she was only aware of a vague sense of failure, of an inner isolation deeper than the loneliness about her.
Have you ever asked yourselves what you are going to do when you grow up? In all likelihood you will get married, and before you know where you are, you will be mothers and fathers; and you will then be tied to a job, or to the kitchen, in which you will gradually wither away. Is that all that your life is going to be?
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