Alas, how easily things go wrong! A sigh too much, a kiss too long And there follows a mist and a weeping rain And life is never the same again
George MacdonaldRead
...it is so silly of people to fancy that old age means crookedness and witheredness and feebleness and sticks and spectacles and rheumatism and forgetfulness! It is so silly! Old age has nothing whatever to do with all that. The right old age means strength and beauty and mirth and courage and clear eyes and strong painless limbs.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Old age should not be associated with negative stereotypes like frailty and forgetfulness; instead, it can represent strength and vitality.
George Macdonald emphasizes that society often has a misguided perception of old age, equating it with physical decline and weakness. He argues that true old age can embody qualities such as strength, beauty, joy, and vitality, challenging the stereotypes that often accompany this stage of life.
Themes
Old AgeStrengthBeautyWisdomJoy
In practice
Example use cases
In a community center meeting discussing the importance of elderly contributions.
More from George Macdonald
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He may delay because it would not be safe to give us at once what we ask: we are not ready for it. To give ere we could truly receive, would be to destroy the very heart and hope of prayer, to cease to be our Father. The delay itself may work to bring us nearer to our help, to increase the desire, perfect the prayer, and ripen the receptive condition.
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When I can no more stir my soul to move, and life is but the ashes of a fire; when I can but remember that my heart once used to live and love, long and aspire- O, be thou then the first, the one thou art; be thou the calling, before all answering love, and in me wake hope, fear, boundless desire.
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But words are vain; reject them allβ They utter but a feeble part: Hear thou the depths from which they call, The voiceless longing of my heart.
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Few delights can equal the presence of one whom we trust utterly.
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