None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
The words which express our faith and piety are not definite; yet they are significant and fragrant like frankincense to superior natures.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Words about faith and belief may lack precision, but they carry deep significance and beauty.
Henry David Thoreau suggests that while the language used to describe our faith and spirituality may not be exact or clear-cut, it holds great importance and can be perceived as beautiful, much like the fragrant qualities of frankincense that appeal to those with elevated sensibilities. This reflects the idea that the emotional and spiritual resonance of words can transcend their literal meanings.
Themes
FaithWordsSignificancePietySpiritualityBeauty
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of spirituality, one might use this quote to highlight the deep meaning behind our expressions of faith.
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.
Henry David ThoreauRead
An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.
Henry David ThoreauRead
Have no mean hours, but be grateful for every hour, and accept what it brings. The reality will make any sincere record respectable.
Henry David ThoreauRead
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.
Henry David ThoreauRead
That grand old poem called Winter
Henry David ThoreauRead
Similar quotes
The rich are always advising the poor, but the poor seldom return the compliment.
Lord ChesterfieldRead
Born with blue spectacles, you would think the world was blue and never be conscious of the existence of the distorting glass.
T. E. HulmeRead
To find a cause that's larger than yourself and then to give your life to it.
Shimon PeresRead
All problems are illusions of the mind.
Eckhart TolleRead
Our destiny is not written for us, but by us.
Barack ObamaRead
When one of my Japanese teacups is broken, I imagine that the real cause was not the careless hand of a maid but the anxieties of the figures inhabiting the curves of that porcelain. Their grim decision to commit suicide doesn't shock me: they used the maid as one of us might use a gun.
Fernando PessoaRead