None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
Gardening is civil and social, but it wants the vigor and freedom of the forest and the outlaw.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Gardening fosters community and civility but lacks the wildness and freedom found in nature's untamed spaces.
In this quote, Henry David Thoreau contrasts the structured, social activity of gardening with the wild, unrestricted essence of nature represented by forests and outlaws. He suggests that while gardening has its merits in promoting social interaction and civility, it also yearns for the raw vigor and independence that comes from the untamed wilderness, highlighting a tension between civilization and nature's freedom.
Themes
GardeningNatureCivilizationFreedomWildness
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about urban green spaces, one could use this quote to address the balance between community gardens and natural preservation.
More from Henry David Thoreau
All quotes βThrough want of enterprise and faith men are where they are, buying and selling and spending their lives like servants.
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An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.
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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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