Thursday Thought for the Day

Courtesy of the English man of letters, Walter Horatio Pater (1839-1894), who advocated the pursuit of beauty as a satisfying end in itself. Fans of the classic television show Northern Exposure may recognize the ethos oft expressed by Chris in the Morning in these words:

"Not the fruit of experience, but experience itself is
the end. A counted number of pulses only is given
to us of a variegated, dramatic life. How shall we
pass most swiftly from point to point, and be present
always at the focus where the greatest number of
vital forces unite in their purest energy? To burn
always with this hard, gemlike flame, to maintain
this ecstasy, is success in life."