--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We may talk of saving antique linens…" description: "\"We may talk of saving antique linens, species, or languages; but whatever we are intent on saving, when a restoration succeeds, we rescue ourselves.\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2c/howard-mansfield-57797_antiques_we-may-talk-of-saving-antique-linens-spe_1212900.jpg" --- # We may talk of saving antique linens, species, or… ![“We may talk of saving antique linens, species, or languages; but whatever we are intent on saving, when a restoration succeeds, we rescue ourselves.” quote by Howard Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2c/howard-mansfield-57797_antiques_we-may-talk-of-saving-antique-linens-spe_1212900.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2c/howard-mansfield-57797_antiques_we-may-talk-of-saving-antique-linens-spe_1212900.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2c/howard-mansfield-57797_antiques_we-may-talk-of-saving-antique-linens-spe_1212900.jpg) > “We may talk of saving antique linens, species, or languages; but whatever we are intent on saving, when a restoration succeeds, we rescue ourselves.” [Howard Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-mansfield/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Restoring something valuable also restores the rescuer, as preservation projects reflect personal healing and identity. **In simple terms:** Saving things helps us heal ourselves. Key Takeaway Engage in preservation to discover personal growth. Themes heritage restoration self‑discovery Mood reflective nostalgic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - historic building renovation - language revitalization - family heirloom repair - environmental conservation Key Concepts cultural memory psychology Questions to Reflect On - What does preserving the past mean for you? - How does restoration affect your sense of self? A Different Perspective Restoration can be costly and may not always succeed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Antiques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antiques/) [Healing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/healing/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Restoration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/restoration/) [Saving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saving/) ## Related quotes > [We talk about saving time and killing time when actually we can't do either. We have no choice but to spend it at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leboeuf/we-talk-about-saving-time-and-killing-time-when-actually-we-can-t-do/) [Michael LeBoeuf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leboeuf/) > [“But you, dear #GIRLBOSS, should save 10 percent at the bare minimum. I know it’s a lot easier to talk about saving money than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-amoruso/but-you-dear-girlboss-should-save-10-percent-at-the-bare-minimum-i/) [Sophia Amoruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-amoruso/) > [LINEN, n. "A kind of cloth the making of which, when made of hemp, entails a great waste of hemp."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/linen-n-a-kind-of-cloth-the-making-of-which-when-made-of-hemp-entails/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Personal sympathy has helped me on very much. My husband from first to last has watched every picture with delight, and it is my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-margaret-cameron/personal-sympathy-has-helped-me-on-very-much-my-husband-from-first-to/) [Julia Margaret Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-margaret-cameron/) > [To one who habitually endeavors to contemplate the true state of things, the political state can hardly be said to have any existence whatever.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/to-one-who-habitually-endeavors-to-contemplate-the-true-state-of/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I feel in my bones that Lady Gaga is a true strident feminist and good for my soul - but how do I square…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/i-feel-in-my-bones-that-lady-gaga-is-a-true-strident-feminist-and/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [The amount of women in London who flirt with their own husbands is perfectly scandalous. It looks so bad. It is simply washing one's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-amount-of-women-in-london-who-flirt-with-their-own-husbands-is/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Stop your grinnin and drop your linen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-paxton/stop-your-grinnin-and-drop-your-linen/) [Bill Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-paxton/) > [The firelight magnified our shadows, glinted off the silver, flickered high upon the walls; its reflection roared orange in the windowpanes as if a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/the-firelight-magnified-our-shadows-glinted-off-the-silver-flickered/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [I speak as your native guide to the mysterious tribe called the English. Dress code is everything. 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And don't think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/domenico-dolce/my-summer-time-tip-is-to-wear-shorts-and-light-shirts-everything-in/) [Domenico Dolce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/domenico-dolce/) > [I talk slicker than a pimp from Augusta who just had his linen suit dry-cleaned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/i-talk-slicker-than-a-pimp-from-augusta-who-just-had-his-linen-suit/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [During summer, I only wear cotton and linen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rituparna-sengupta/during-summer-i-only-wear-cotton-and-linen/) [Rituparna Sengupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rituparna-sengupta/) > [Virtue shows quite as well in rags and patches as she does in purple and fine linen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/virtue-shows-quite-as-well-in-rags-and-patches-as-she-does-in-purple/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) ## More by Howard Mansfield > [ “The \[commercial\] strip is marketed with the come-on of comfort (the Comfort Inn) and with the promise of a home on the road, a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-mansfield/the-commercial-strip-is-marketed-with-the-come-on-of-comfort-the/) [Howard Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-mansfield/) > [Four hundred years is but a moment in 10,000 years. Time is curved, time is braided. Throw out your clocks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-mansfield/four-hundred-years-is-but-a-moment-in-10-000-years-time-is-curved/) [Howard Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-mansfield/) > [“I was trying to discover examples of a living restoration, trying to go beyond discussions about correct historic colors, materials, and techniques. I looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-mansfield/i-was-trying-to-discover-examples-of-a-living-restoration-trying-to/) [Howard Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-mansfield/) > [“Good preservation is a life preserver thrown to us in a shipwreck. Good preservation keeps us in touch with the graces of this life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-mansfield/good-preservation-is-a-life-preserver-thrown-to-us-in-a-shipwreck/) [Howard Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-mansfield/) > [We have everywhere an absence of memory. 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Alexander > [Every innovation scraps its immediate predecessor and retrieves still older figures – it causes floods of antiques or nostalgic art forms and stimulates the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/every-innovation-scraps-its-immediate-predecessor-and-retrieves-still/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [“The Nazi salute was performed by public officials in the USA from 1892 through 1942. The researcher Dr. Rex Curry asks 'What happened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micky-barnetti/the-nazi-salute-was-performed-by-public-officials-in-the-usa-from/) Micky Barnetti > [ It was when Boston invited us to do a parade one November, and I was the only \[Star Wars\] cast member skeptical of the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ratzenberger/it-was-when-boston-invited-us-to-do-a-parade-one-november-and-i-was/) [John Ratzenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ratzenberger/) > [LAOCOON, n. A famous piece of antique scripture representing a priest of that name and his two sons in the folds of two enormous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/laocoon-n-a-famous-piece-of-antique-scripture-representing-a-priest/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [I had already done a lot of research for Rough Riders, keeping notebooks and old photographs. 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