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Rank: Advanced Member
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 Shall a man go and hang himself because he belongs to the race of pygmies, and not be the biggest pygmy that he can? Let every one mind his own business, and endeavor to be what he was made. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
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Daemon wrote:Shall a man go and hang himself because he belongs to the race of pygmies, and not be the biggest pygmy that he can? Let every one mind his own business, and endeavor to be what he was made. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) Indeed, should it not be the goal of each man, woman and child on this planet to mind their own business? I think that this should be, and actually could be, one of the most worthwhile of projects ever devised for man to follow. Thanks Daemon for this great quote!
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seobyclh wrote:Daemon wrote:Shall a man go and hang himself because he belongs to the race of pygmies, and not be the biggest pygmy that he can? Let every one mind his own business, and endeavor to be what he was made. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) Indeed, should it not be the goal of each man, woman and child on this planet to mind their own business? I think that this should be, and actually could be, one of the most worthwhile of projects ever devised for man to follow. Thanks Daemon for this great quote! Studying Thoreau leads to great insights concerning life and our potential to become more aware of each and every facet of that life. Digging in deep, one soon discovers that the layers of this thinker are far ranging, to say the least.
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Dwarfs and pygmies? Who's known then that the USA by far outshine the British Empire.
>> Some are dinning in our ears that we Americans, and moderns generally, are intellectual dwarfs compared with the ancients, or even the Elizabethan men.
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 9/10/2009
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I am but one pygmie in the cesspool of human struggles plodding through Monday's giant mini-marathon.
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Rank: Advanced Member
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What!? And give up our favorite pastime of judging our fellow humans? What a ridiculous idea!
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 1/18/2011
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QU: "Shall a man go and hang himself because he belongs to the race of pygmies?"
ANS: Absolutely not! Otherwise there would be no pygmies. Besides, pygmies are not a "race."
QU: "(A)nd not be the biggest pygmy that he can?"
ANS: Knock yourself out!
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 11/22/2009
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I would say that even though a pygmy surrounds himself with dwarfs, it still does not make him a giant. Also, that's the hardest part of a business to mind your own one. 
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Daemon wrote:Shall a man go and hang himself because he belongs to the race of pygmies, and not be the biggest pygmy that he can? Let every one mind his own business, and endeavor to be what he was made. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) From the concluding Chapter 18 of "Walden"; Thoreau seems to reflect on contentment with one's fate. The complete paragraph: " Some are dinning in our ears that we Americans, and moderns generally, are intellectual dwarfs compared with the ancients, or even the Elizabethan men. But what is that to the purpose? A living dog is better than a dead lion. Shall a man go and hang himself because he belongs to the race of pygmies, and not be the biggest pygmy that he can? Let every one mind his own business, and endeavor to be what he was made." A few pages over Thoreau revealed his preference, perhaps even the reason for his Walden retreat: " I delight to come to my bearings -- not walk in procession with pomp and parade, in a conspicuous place, but to walk even with the Builder of the universe, if I may -- not to live in this restless, nervous, bustling, trivial Nineteenth Century, but stand or sit thoughtfully while it goes by." For a while he had the luxury.
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