Our business in life is not to succeed, but to continue to fail in good spirits.
Robert Louis StevensonRead
It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.
Interpretation
The forest captivates people not just because of its beauty, but due to the refreshing and renewing quality it offers to those who are weary.
This quote by Robert Louis Stevenson emphasizes that the forest has a profound impact on humanity, drawing us not solely due to its picturesque landscapes but for the unique atmosphere it creates. The 'subtle something' he mentions refers to the revitalizing energy derived from nature, which replenishes tired souls and offers solace and rejuvenation to those who seek refuge in its serene embrace.
In practice
During a nature retreat, sharing this quote can inspire participants to connect deeply with their surroundings.
Our business in life is not to succeed, but to continue to fail in good spirits.
Like a bird singing in the rain, let grateful memories survive in time of sorrow.
That man is a success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much.
His past was fairly blameless; few men could read the rolls of their life with less apprehension; yet he was humbled to the dust by the many ill things he had done, and raised up again into sober and fearful gratitude by the many he had come so near to doing, yet avoided.
The habit of being happy enables one to be freed, or largely freed, from the domination of outward conditions.
It is the history of our kindnesses that alone make this world tolerable. If it were not for that, for the effect of kind words, kind looks, kind letters . . . I should be inclined to think our life a practical jest in the worst possible spirit.
It's not a choice between our environment and our economy; it's a choice between prosperity and decline.
Pacific Islands are among those that contribute least to global warming, yet suffer most.
It was cold and windy, scarcely the day to take a walk on that long beach Everything was withdrawn as far as possible, indrawn: the tide far out, the ocean shrunken, seabirds in ones or twos. The rackety, icy, offshore wind numbed our faces on one side; disrupted the formation of a lone flight of Canada geese; and blew back the low, inaudible rollers in upright, steely mist.
Nature builds things that are antifragile. In the case of evolution, nature uses disorder to grow stronger. Occasional starvation or going to the gym also makes you stronger, because you subject your body to stressors and gain from them.
To drown a river beneath its own impounded water, by damming, is to kill what it was and to settle for something else. When the damming happens without good reason . . . then it's a tragedy of diminishment for the whole planet, a loss of one more wild thing, leaving Earth just a little flatter and tamer and simpler and uglier than before.
What is the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?
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