The more slowly trees grow at first, the sounder they are at the core...

By Henry David Thoreau

The more slowly trees grow at first, the sounder they are at the core, and I think that the same is true of human beings.

— Henry David Thoreau


Full Quote

The more slowly trees grow at first, the sounder they are at the core, and I think that the same is true of human beings. We do not wish to see children precocious, making great strides in their early years like sprouts, producing a soft and perishable timber, but better if they expand slowly at first, as if contending with difficulties, and so are solidified and perfected.


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