“Many an object is not seen, though it falls within the range of our visual ray, because it does not come within the range of our intellectual ray, i.e., we are not looking for it. So in the larger sense, we find only the world we look for.”
from The Journal 1837-1861 by Henry David Thoreau
spanishwoods 
Love love love this quote
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Thoreau always speaks the truth with such eloquence.
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So true. I think I will riff off this for my Mon blog post. It hit home.
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Interesting way of thinking. It’s like things you can see in your peripheral vision but must look directly at to see clearly. He lived a short life…
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I believe we are all guilty of this (to a varying degree). We tend to see only what we’re looking for instead of trying very hard to embrace all of it, different ways of thinking, different ways of living, different ways of understanding the world. It’s a shame really, because we could learn so much from just stepping out of our sheltered views and really embracing the “other”. Yes, he did live a short life. I get so much from his writing, he just never, never disappoints.
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The way the world is going, those sheltered views are getting larger.
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I wish that wasn’t true
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also, he lived 44 years, and that indeed is such a sort time
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Too short a life! 😪
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So beautifully said and represented with your lovely image, Sylvia.
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Thank you Dale, this image was taken by my son, Wolfgang. He snapped this when the sun was setting on some plants in my living room.
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Excellent shot, Wolfgang!
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Truly beautiful. Photo and words.
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thanks to you Nico
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So true!
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The amazing thing is that this must just be human nature, because I’m certain we’re all guilty of it and it’s as true today as it was in the 1800’s when he wrote this line in his journal. I try to force myself out of this mindset, but I’ll admit, it isn’t easy.
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Agreed!
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Love the quote and the light and shadow 💕
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thank you, a nice capture from my son, Wolf
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I haven’t heard of this quote before. It’s really food for thought and so true. I’m one of those people who is very observant and tend to look outside the box, so I find I sometimes notice things that others don’t. I love the way the light casts shadows on the leaves and the flower of the plants. It’s a very well-composed shot. Can you please tell me what flower that is? I don’t think I’ve seen one like that before? Thanks. Ellie x 🌞
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It’s a dried flower I got a couple years ago, I’m sorry but I have no idea what the actual flower is. I have big seed pods and dried flowers in that crystal vase behind the green plants. The sunset always looks so lovely on this corner.
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This is so true in our day!
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yes, it would appear to be true in ALL days…
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Yes!
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