Skip to main content

Never Lose Enthusiasm - Aldous Huxley - Secret of Genius

The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm.

attributed to: Aldous Huxley

First, I am a little uncomfortable with using this quote.  Normally, I research the origin of a quote for assurances of correctness.  However, after ten minutes of weeding through google results of pinterest, twitter, and the huge quotation cites, I could not find the context of this quote nor conformation that it was Huxley.  Sigh.   If any of my gentle readers have the citation and context of this quote, it would be greatly appreciated.  

 Second, I decided just to get on with the blog.  What is important?  Spending time verifying a quote (which is not the main purpose of the blog) or crystallizing my idea in writing.  And then to get on living life.  

 Enthusiasm.  This is what attracted me to this quote.  When things were dark for me, I didn't even have the enthusiasm some days to do anything more than grab some snacks and sit in front of the television.  Argh - what a waste of time.  Like my readers, I have many talents.  Some are not as appreciated as others, but I have them.

 Not practicing my skills and talents. Not growing my skills and talents.  Not sharing my skills and talents.  That is self-absorbed and selfish.  

 Living in Philadelphia, I met a retired teacher.  I think she was a teacher.  She was small and birdish, hopping around different community help groups.  She had a routine I was told:  She volunteered at five different charities one day a week for each with a smile.  Her volunteer work never overlapped with mine and I was too "busy" to seek her out and talk to her.  I was a self-important 30-something.  It was my loss.

 Today, I am not at the retirement age but I am fighting my own tiredness and the attitudes of today's 30-somethings.  One of the nice things about the internet is that you are judged on your work (postings) and not your physical appearance if you choose to have it that way.  Yes, Yes, and Yes, the pics, the instagrams, the facebookings are filled with images of instant celebrity based solely on appearance.  But they choose that (to a certain extent).  What the internet can do is provide a platform for pure written content.  So this blog might not have the "click-bait" that will increase views - but for 15 minutes a day I get to practice my writing and get my ideas out there.

 Propelling Enthusiasm!

Gratitudes:  Wireless keyboards, blue tooth headphones, and instant oatmeal.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Don't trust a skinny cook - Vinne Vrotny - Teacher Hypocrisy

Adults want comfort, but expect students to go into [the] discomfort zone.  Are we hypocrites?  from Vinnie Vrotny - Blog post    Multi-faceted Refractions I live with the thought that I am a hypocrite.  I am a teacher almost every day I implore, cajole, push, and pull students to learn more about the immediate subject and themselves.  And yet I feel guilty when I don't do the same thing. To find today's quote, I Googled "quotes teacher hypocrisy" and got no love.  I got quotes from Don King, Malcom X, Alan Dershowitz (black pot) and others.  But no listed, no famous quotes about teachers and hypocrisy.   Then I Googled "teacher hypocrisy" and oh boy, were there hits!.   Grass roots education ;  Condor Voice ; I, Hypocrite Teache r; and today's quote were just a start.   I realized that I am not alone.   I must admit I also hate lazy teachers.  They are robbing students' time.  Teaching is a hard job, both emotionally and phy
Post a Comment
Read more

We shape our buildings - Winston Churchill - Be in action

We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us. from:  Winston Churchill, Painter , Political Survivor, Orator , and Nobel Prize for Literature Winner So much negativity in the world and in my thoughts.  Originally, I was looking for a quote about the benefits of having positive thoughts.  Sigh.  There are many quotes like that out there, but the ones I found where either by celebrities or self-help gurus.  Not that what they are saying is not useful, it is just I wanted elegant, powerful bon mots from a profound source. So, Churchill. I'd written down in my notes about this quote.  It was made in a speech to rebuild the House of Commons after a bombing raid.  I noted the quote because it agrees with my belief that architecture influences those who encounter it, whether for good or bad.  But in this case, I am presenting it to my gentle readers as a metaphor.  Like:  "You reap what you sow," or "You've made your bed, so go lay in it."
Post a Comment
Read more

Anger and Work - Toni Morrison - Tired of being angry

I get angry at things, then go on and work. from: Toni Morrison Author and Teacher Disclosure:  I know little about Toni Morrison.  Yes, I should read her writings.  But I have my own writings to get out of my head. I found this quote because I have become tired of being angry.  Maybe I should just scream myself into a coma, but I think I would still wake up anger.  Screw the Serenity Prayer.  Stuff admonitions of how anger is caused by fear.  Stifle thoughts of turning the other cheek.  Suffocate ideas of rising above.  Smother the idea that this is not productive.   But then, a sliver of sanity and the simplicity of Morrison's quote.  As I have written before, I like to find the origin of quotes I use, and this one I found (unless this is photoshopped ) So, my two options are to keep my hand in the fire or to move into action.  Since I am writing this, I have chosen movement.   This entry can be considered the equivalent of picking myself up and brushing myself off.
Post a Comment
Read more