Yesterday, I read about a local barber who said he was
influenced to begin his business by the writing of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.,
the Boston-based physician, professor, lecturer, poet and author who lived most
of the 1800s (1809-94).
Curious about what a 19th Century figure wrote to
influence a 21st Century barber, I explored a bit more about Holmes and found a remarkable man who had a remarkable
way with words that often served to inspire many … in many different fields.
While writing wasn't his primary livelihood, writers
like Emerson, Thoreau and Longfellow hung out with him and acclaimed him as one
of the best writers of the day.
He made many “quotable” statements. Here's what he
wrote about the effect books held on him:
“Life-transforming ideas have always come to me through
books. The best of a book is not the
thought which it contains, but the thought which it suggests; just as the charm
of music dwells not in the tones but in the echoes of our hearts.”
Oh, and his inspiration for our local barber: “Many people die with their music still in
them. Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before
they know it time runs out.”
Stop procrastinating
and hit the keyboard.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
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