Famous quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

"As life is action and passion, it is required of a man that he should share the passion and action of his time, at the peril of being not to have lived"

About this Quote

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.'s quote, "As life is action and enthusiasm, it is required of a guy that he ought to share the enthusiasm and action of his time, at the peril of being not to have lived", highlights the significance of engagement with the world around us. Holmes, a popular American jurist and legal scholar, highlights the idea that a satisfying life is fundamentally linked to active participation and shared enthusiasm in the social and cultural dynamics of one's era.

The expression "life is action and enthusiasm" recommends that presence is naturally dynamic and driven by emotions and activities. Holmes implies that life in its essence is not passive. To genuinely live, one should be associated with the unfolding occasions of their time-- whether these are social, political, cultural, or individual-- because such involvement specifies the human experience.

Holmes utilizes the word "needed" to indicate a strong obligation or need. This is not merely a suggestion however considered as an important condition for a significant life. The "passion and action of his time" describes the dominating concerns, motions, and cumulative feelings of a specific period. It is a call to engage not in a detached or half-hearted way but to deeply immerse oneself in the zeitgeist, contributing and responding to it with real eagerness.

The cautionary tone in "at the peril of being not to have lived" serves as a plain caution. Holmes recommends that avoiding such engagement dangers leading an unfinished or incomplete life. To "have not lived" is to have actually missed the essence of one's presence by standing on the sidelines, failing to add to or draw from the vibrancy of one's age.

Overall, Holmes's quote obliges people to be proactive individuals in their time, embracing both its difficulties and opportunities to prevent a life without true purpose and connection. His words motivate a life lived totally, rich with action and infused with enthusiasm, as a defense versus the apathy and incompleteness of an unengaged presence.

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About the Author

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. This quote is written / told by Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. between March 8, 1841 and March 6, 1935. He was a famous Jurist from USA. The author also have 33 other quotes.
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