“To cease to wonder is to fall plumb-down from the childlike to the commonplace—the most undivine of all moods intellectual. Our nature can never be at home among things that are not wonderful to us.”
Explore This Quote Further
Analysis of Quote by George MacDonald
In this quote, George MacDonald emphasizes the importance of wonder in our lives. He suggests that losing the ability to wonder leads one to live in the mundane and uninteresting, where our intellectual and spiritual growth is stunted. MacDonald believes that our natural state is one in which we are constantly awed and amazed by the world around us, and that this wonder is necessary for us to truly connect with and appreciate the beauty and complexity of life. This idea reminds us to stay curious and open-minded, always seeking out the marvels in the world that inspire us and deepen our understanding of ourselves and the universe.
Embracing Wonder in a Digital Age
In a world filled with technology and constant connectivity, it can be easy to become desensitized to the wonders of the world around us. However, George MacDonald's words remind us of the importance of maintaining a sense of wonder in our everyday lives. By allowing ourselves to be amazed by the beauty and complexity of the world, we can reconnect with our true nature and find joy in the extraordinary.
Embracing Wonder in Life
"To cease to wonder is to fall plumb-down from the childlike to the commonplace—the most undivine of all moods intellectual. Our nature can never be at home among things that are not wonderful to us." - George MacDonald
Appreciating the Beauty of Nature: Taking the time to marvel at a sunrise or the intricate details of a flower can reignite a sense of wonder in our lives.
Learning Something New: Exploring new interests or hobbies can help us view the world through a fresh lens and keep our sense of wonder alive.
Cultivating Curiosity: Asking questions, seeking out new experiences, and continuously learning can help us maintain a childlike curiosity and sense of wonder in our daily lives.
Reflection Questions
As George MacDonald suggests, embracing wonder is essential to maintaining a childlike curiosity and avoiding a mundane existence. Reflect on the following questions to explore how wonder influences your perspective on the world around you:
- What are some things that never fail to evoke a sense of wonder or amazement in you?
- How has embracing wonder helped you stay open-minded and receptive to new experiences or ideas?
- In what ways do you actively seek out moments of wonder in your daily life?
- Have there been times when you allowed cynicism or routine to overshadow your capacity for wonder? How did you overcome this?
- How do you think cultivating a mindset of wonder can enrich your relationships, creativity, and overall well-being?
Take some time to ponder these questions and consider how you can infuse more wonder into your daily existence.
Similar quotes
“For others, as for ourselves, we must trust him. If we could thoroughly understand anything, that would be enough to prove it undivine; and that which is but one step beyond our understanding must be in some of its relations as mysterious as if it were a hundred.”
“Then the Old Man of the Earth stooped over the floor of the cave, raised a huge stone from it, and left it leaning. It disclosed a great hole that went plumb-down."That is the way," he said. "But there are no stairs." "You must throw yourself in. There is no other way.”
“In very truth, a wise imagination, which is the presence of the spirit of God, is the best guide that man or woman can have; for it is not the things we see the most clearly that influence us the most powerfully; undefined, yet vivid visions of something beyond, something which eye has not seen nor ear heard, have far more influence than any logical sequences whereby the same things may be demonstrated to the intellect. It is the nature of the thing, not the clearness of its outline, that determines its operation. We live by faith, and not by sight.”
“Once, as I passed by a cottage, there came out a lovely fairy child, with two wondrous toys, one in each hand. The one was the tube through which the fairy-gifted poet looks when he beholds the same thing everywhere; the other that through which he looks when he combines into new forms of loveliness those images of beauty which his own choice has gathered from all regions wherein he has travelled. Round the child’s head was an aureole of emanating rays. As I looked at him in wonder and delight, round crept from behind me the something dark, and the child stood in my shadow. Straightway he was a commonplace boy, with a rough broad-brimmed straw hat, through which brim the sun shone from behind. The toys he carried were a multiplying-glass and a kaleidoscope. I sighed and departed.”
“One of my greatest difficulties in consenting to think of religion was that I thought I should have to give up my beautiful thoughts and my love for the things God has made. But I find that the happiness springing from all things not in themselves sinful is much increased by religion. God is the God of the Beautiful—Religion is the love of the Beautiful, and Heaven is the Home of the Beautiful—-Nature is tenfold brighter in the Sun of Righteousness, and my love of Nature is more intense since I became a Christian—-if indeed I am one. God has not given me such thoughts and forbidden me to enjoy them.”
“She would wonder what had hurt her when she found her face wet with tears, and then would wonder how she could have been hurt without knowing it.”