Monday, August 14, 2006

Consider the turtle and other recent reads.

I just finished "The Devil Wears Prada" by Lauren Weisberger. A very funny book and a great pool/beach read. I have started to re-read "Waldon" by Henry David Thoreau. Which I have not read since college under the gun of a test the next day. I liked him then and I like him even better now. He has a no nonsense approach to everything in life. Here is one of my favorite excerpts:

Consider the turtle. Perchance you have worried, despaired of the world, meditated the end of life, and things seem rushing to destruction; but nature has steadily and serenely advanced with the turtle's pace. The young turtle spends its infancy within its shell. It gets experience and learns the way of the world through that wall. While it rests warily on the edge of its hole, rash schemes are undertaken by men and fail. French empires rise or fall, but the turtle is developed only so fast. What's a summer? Time for a turtle's egg to hatch. So is the turtle developed, fitted to endure, for he outlives twenty French dynasties. One turtle knows several Napoleons.
They have no worries, have no cares, yet has not the great world existed for them as much as for you.

1 comment:

Zebster said...

Excellent post and choice of quote. Thanks for stopping by Inside Zebster.
I was trying to bring in more Maine readers, and then I had to slow down considerably because I went back to my old job 60-70 hours a week.
But I still intend to get as many people active as I can in election reform and independent issues. So if that interests you, please check back.
Just glancing through your blog it looks like someone's a humanitarian. Too bad there weren't more with that dedication, caring and patience. Kudos...I know I couldn't do it.