“Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.” –Henry David Thoreau



This quote by Thoreau seems to be my favorite out of favorites. It is something that I wish to live by but I struggle under the weight of life’s strain. Indulging in the joys of now and life itself tends to be a thin border between gluttony and inner-peace. Though, stopping to smell the roses is the medicine we all forget to utilize to make life bearable. Life seems to be meant for immersing and fueling ourselves by its aesthetics; yet in this hustle and bustle world, we tend to rely on materialistic items and agendas to make ourselves happy. There are also people like me. There are ones who struggle with everyday life so much they live everyday in fear but also persistence to push through the waking hours. Although this is my favorite quote of Thoreau’s, it is an ideal that is not easily achieved.



The advice that the quote provides is a wise one indeed. It has a deep meaning, especially more now than in Henry’s time. So it could be that Thoreau is a psychic or more realistically, this quote is perpetually meaningful. So if it is relevant in every era, you’d think we would live like that which the quote implies. I mean, since records have been dug up and scientific theories are found we know the earth has always been bountiful. The earth has something to please every ole factory senses. There are sunsets to be seen, water to be swam in, honeysuckle to be smelled, and organic sweets to be tasted. Also, bodies are gifted with emotion: intense happiness, explosive anger, complete trepidation, and soul crushing sadness. They are not all desirable but each one is revitalizing and real but also something taken for granted. So the quote’s meaning, I believe, is that life is short and we shouldn’t fear and push through the difficult to get to the times and things we do desire. We need to see, touch, smell, taste, and feel everything that we can at anytime in our extremely minuscule and irrelevant lives. The quote means to simply live life to the fullest.



So our lives should ‘ideally’ be lived to fullest but is that really important to tell our next generation? Though this quote is always relevant, our newest generation is pretty selfish and gluttonous and I admit that I am apart of this era. We live spontaneously and fully but we are doing so in foolish ways. So in a way, maybe this quote isn’t right for modern people to live by. Are we too wrapped up in what makes us happy, to say ‘hey, enjoy everything?’ Today there is a fine line between enjoying richness and over-indulging. Yet after all of these speculations, I find this quote to be necessary to us ‘now’ people because we live DULLY and we indulge NUMBLY. We work endless hours for the satisfaction of green paper that some how provides us with security and also materialistic, artificial, and temporary happiness. We sit alone with bright screens in front of our faces because we are bored, because we cannot bare that deep part of ourselves that will always feel lonely. We eat to compensate, not because we are hungry and or enjoy the savor of each bite. We live to kill time and in this way we are killing ourselves. Like I have mentioned before, the earth provides us with everything we need to be happy and yet we ignore it and destroy it. This wise quote is meaningful in many ways. Even our greedy generation can live by this insightful quote.



Like I said, our generation ignores what will truly make us happy. The people that struggle the most today in society probably turn away from life’s indulgences the most. I can relate this topic to myself. I have chronic depression and anxiety. To be honest, it can be crippling. I miss out on a lot of life’s experiences. I live today to get through today. As an example, I hate the winter so much because of how it makes me feel and yet I forget that that winter is apart of life. It is time I am wasting feeling sorry for myself. I should indulge in sleigh rides, adventures in the snow, the charity and meaning of Christmas, hot cocoa, and time with family. Yet, I immerse myself into the pity pit I dwell angrily in. Instead of waiting for spring I should love the ups and downs that are thrown at me because I could not feel at all, I could not live at all. Even the worst emotions can feel so liberating because I FEEL something. I need to live each season because life is only so long. Life at its best and life at its worst still needs to be enjoyed. Even in the worst of times there is something worth enjoying.


Thoreau’s quote is truly meaningful. Its meaning is that we need to live life to the fullest and enjoy the good and the bad because it is a gift, a privilege. It can be hard to find the line between inner-happiness and gluttony but everyone’s goal should be to find the balance. Finding it can make our lives worth the bad that is in it. This quote means something to everyone including me. Life isn’t meant to be lived to get through the day. Life is meant to be lived with no regrets. My favorite quote means we need to live life to the fullest and I agree.