No man loses ever on a lower level by magnanimity on a higher.
 Henry David Thoreau, Walden (1854). copy citation

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Author Henry David Thoreau
Source Walden
Topic magnanimity
Date 1854
Language English
Reference
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Weblink https://www.gutenberg.org/files/205/205-h/205-h.htm

Context

“Moreover, if you are restricted in your range by poverty, if you cannot buy books and newspapers, for instance, you are but confined to the most significant and vital experiences; you are compelled to deal with the material which yields the most sugar and the most starch. It is life near the bone where it is sweetest. You are defended from being a trifler. No man loses ever on a lower level by magnanimity on a higher. Superfluous wealth can buy superfluities only. Money is not required to buy one necessary of the soul. I live in the angle of a leaden wall, into whose composition was poured a little alloy of bell metal.” source