Certain old men prefer to rise at dawn, taking a cold bath and a long walk with an empty stomach and otherwise mortifying the flesh. They then point with pride to these practices as the cause of their sturdy health and ripe years; the truth being that they are hearty and old, not because of their habits, but in spite of them. The reason we find only robust persons doing this thing is that it has killed all the others who have tried it.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Old men credit harsh habits for health, but only the healthy survived those habits.
- In plain terms
- Healthy old men survive bad habits while others die.
- What can you take from it?
- Correlation does not prove cause.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Are you the survivor?
- What is the real cause?
Another view
Some habits do help even if not the only factor.
More from Ambrose Bierce
Calamities are of two kinds: misfortunes to ourselves, and good fortune to others.
Permalink to quote #93 Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum.
Permalink to quote #95 Think twice before helping a friend in need.
Permalink to quote #92
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