Even the death of Friends will inspire us as much as their lives. They will leave consolation to the mourners, as the rich leave money to defray the expenses of their funerals, and their memories will be incrusted over with sublime and pleasing thoughts, as monuments of other men are overgrown with moss; for our Friends have no place in the graveyard.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Thoreau compares the lasting impact of friends' deaths to their lives, saying memories become cherished monuments, unlike graves.
- In plain terms
- Friends' deaths leave lasting, cherished memories, more enduring than graves.
- What can you take from it?
- Cherished memories preserve a person's influence beyond death.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do memories shape our lives?
- What practices keep a friend's legacy alive?
Another view
Not all find comfort in memory alone.
More from Henry David Thoreau
It takes two to speak the truth, - one to speak, and another to hear.
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