I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.
Quote of the Week from:
Ralph Waldo Emerson
American Lecturer, Essayist, and Poet
Apropos R. W. Emerson’s quotation about not remembering the books he’s read but realizing they have made him: If memory serves, theologian and Bible teacher William Barclay once said, “I haven’t had an original thought in my life.”
Fair to say all of us are largely the products of the words and deeds of the people who have become part and parcel of our lives, even though we might never have met them.
Authors, writers, and speakers (beginning with our paren’ts, of course) all have contributed in various ways to our beliefs and behaviors, attitudes and actions. They have, in a sense, “made us.”
As for Barclay’s comment (I hope I got it right!), it probably comprised equal parts exaggeration and modesty. Nevertheless, we may in fact never have a plenarily original thought. The ways in which we concatenate the thoughts in our minds, however, are sure to have at least elements of uniqueness.
I’d insert a homey analogy to undergird my thesis, but I’ve probably said more than enough already! Uh-oh, I can’t resist . . ..
Take, for example, two professional chefs, each of whom is commissioned to invent an award-winning recipe for a fantastic dessert. Each chef has access to the same tools, the same ingredients, and perhaps each had been trained by the same master chefs in the same culinary school.
What are the chances that each chef will bring to fruition the exact same recipe? The chances are slim to none. That’s because the tools, ingredients, and training (not to mention temperaments, personalities, and a bunch of other variables) are combined in unique ways in each chef’s mind.
Oh, each chef may use heavy cream, or chocolate, or raspberries, or some other ingredient, but the exact combination and manipulation of ingredients is bound to eventuate in something unique and tasty (we hope!).
One thought on “I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.”
Apropos R. W. Emerson’s quotation about not remembering the books he’s read but realizing they have made him: If memory serves, theologian and Bible teacher William Barclay once said, “I haven’t had an original thought in my life.”
Fair to say all of us are largely the products of the words and deeds of the people who have become part and parcel of our lives, even though we might never have met them.
Authors, writers, and speakers (beginning with our paren’ts, of course) all have contributed in various ways to our beliefs and behaviors, attitudes and actions. They have, in a sense, “made us.”
As for Barclay’s comment (I hope I got it right!), it probably comprised equal parts exaggeration and modesty. Nevertheless, we may in fact never have a plenarily original thought. The ways in which we concatenate the thoughts in our minds, however, are sure to have at least elements of uniqueness.
I’d insert a homey analogy to undergird my thesis, but I’ve probably said more than enough already! Uh-oh, I can’t resist . . ..
Take, for example, two professional chefs, each of whom is commissioned to invent an award-winning recipe for a fantastic dessert. Each chef has access to the same tools, the same ingredients, and perhaps each had been trained by the same master chefs in the same culinary school.
What are the chances that each chef will bring to fruition the exact same recipe? The chances are slim to none. That’s because the tools, ingredients, and training (not to mention temperaments, personalities, and a bunch of other variables) are combined in unique ways in each chef’s mind.
Oh, each chef may use heavy cream, or chocolate, or raspberries, or some other ingredient, but the exact combination and manipulation of ingredients is bound to eventuate in something unique and tasty (we hope!).