Wisdom From Henry

I had planned a rather witty blog post for today. Well, I thought it was witty. Opinions may vary. But I had a sad and difficult day at work, and I just don’t feel very witty at the moment.

I thought I would share one of my very favorite quotes with you instead. Well, it’s more of an excerpt than a quote because it comes from Walden by Henry David Thoreau. Henry was a wise, wise man, and when I read Walden I can feel the woods all around me. This particular excerpt always makes me feel empowered and reminds me that sometimes we must wrestle with life to understand the true experience of it.

 

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion.”

Henry David Thoreau

 

I’ll see you on Thursday, and hopefully I’ll feel more like posting something witty. In the meantime, go and suck some of the marrow of life, will you?

Comments

  1. Fabulous quote. Love it, agree with it, remember to keep your head up! 🙂

  2. Heard about today…hopefully the week gets better! Can’t wait to read your witty post! 🙂

  3. Love that quote! There should be a bumper sticker or blog or something that uses ” suck the marrow” ..” I hope your day goes better tomorrow!

    • Betsy Horvath says

      @Lynda K: HAHA! Thanks, Lynda. It has gone a little better the rest of the week. Just a rough couple of days. Now I WANT that bumper sticker – I should see if they really make one 😀

  4. When I read or hear “suck the marrow out of life” I can’t help but think of The Dead Poets Society. 🙂

    Hope tomorrow goes better!

    • Betsy Horvath says

      @Doris: LOL Thanks, Doris! Sometimes I don’t know if I’m sucking the marrow out of life, or if it’s sucking it out of me….hmmm… that didn’t make a lot of sense… hah! 😀

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