It is by all odds the loftiest of cities. It even managed to reach the highest point in the sky at the lowest moment of the depression.
In a man's middle years there is scarcely a part of the body he would hesitate to turn over to the proper authorities.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the idea of vulnerability and the acceptance of aging, suggesting that as people grow older, they become more open to examination and scrutiny.
E. B. White's quote captures the essence of how individuals, particularly men in their middle years, may feel a sense of surrender regarding their bodies and lives. It highlights the journey of aging, where one becomes more aware of their mortality and the physical aspects of life and may feel inclined to relinquish control over them to medical or societal authorities. This can symbolize a broader acceptance of one's life choices and the experiences that come with age.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on aging, one could use this quote to underscore the changes people face in later life.
More from E. B. White
All quotes βIt isn't silence you can cut with a knife any more, it's interchange of ideas. Intelligent discussion of practically everything is what is breaking up modern marriage.
The main thing I try to do is write as clearly as I can. Because I have the greatest respect for the reader, and if he's going to the trouble of reading what I've written -- I'm a slow reader myself and I guess most people are -- why, the least I can do is make it as easy as possible for him to find out what I'm trying to say, trying to get at. I rewrite a good deal to make it clear.
A good farmer is nothing more nor less than a handy man with a sense of humus.
A despot doesn't fear eloquent writers preaching freedom- he fears a drunken poet who may crack a joke that will take hold.
All writing is communication; creative writing is communication through revelation-it is the Self-escaping into the open.
Similar quotes
And what is a man without energy? Nothing - nothing at all.
Moderation in all things - including moderation.
It's not what enters men's mouth that is evil," said the alchemist. It's what comes out of their mouths that is.
Lucius Cassius ille quem populus Romanus verissimum et sapientissimum iudicem putabat identidem in causis quaerere solebat 'cui bono' fuisset. The famous Lucius Cassius, whom the Roman people used to regard as a very honest and wise judge, was in the habit of asking, time and again, 'To whose benefit?
Discipline brings us effort, sacrifice and suffering. Later it brings us something of an inestimable value: something of which those who live only for pleasure, profit or amusement will always be deprived. This peculiar indefinable joy which one must have felt oneself to understand is the sign with which life marks its moment of triumph.
Nurture your mind with great thoughts