None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
All good things are cheap: all bad are very dear.
Interpretation
Good things in life often come at little cost, while bad things demand a high price.
This quote by Henry David Thoreau suggests that the true joys and valuable experiences in life are often simple and accessible, while the negative aspects, such as suffering or regret, come with significant costs. It highlights a philosophical perspective on the nature of value, urging us to appreciate the simplicity of goodness and recognize the burdens that accompany negativity.
In practice
In a discussion about prioritizing happiness over material wealth.
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
Not long ago I learned from a certain person in considerable detail about the worthlessness of your character. All the same, it is you who have given me strength, you who have put the rainbow of revolution in my breast. It is you who have given an object to my life.
We must cast away everything which hinders us upon our road towards heaven β the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life; the love of riches, pleasures and honors, the spirit of lukewarmness and carelessness and indifference about the things of God β all must be rooted out and forsaken if we are anxious for the prize. We must mortify the deeds of the body, we must crucify our affections for this world.
In our loss and fear we craved the acts of religion, the ceremonies that allow us to admit our helplessness, our dependence on the great forces we do not understand.
Before any man can be considered as a member of Civil Society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governour of the Universe: And if a member of Civil Society, do it with a saving of his allegiance to the Universal Sovereign. We maintain therefore that in matters of Religion, no man's right is abridged by the institution of Civil Society and that Religion is wholly exempt from its cognizance.
I'm drawn to the taboos that surround the human body. I find it fascinating that we are repelled by many of the acts and processes that keep us alive.
Is it better to out-monster the monster or to be quietly devoured?
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