--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The scholar only knows how dear these…" description: "\"The scholar only knows how dear these silent, yet eloquent, companions of pure thoughts and innocent hours become in the season of adversity. When all ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9e/washington-irving-1386_adversity_the-scholar-only-knows-how-dear-these-si_315030.png" --- # The scholar only knows how dear these silent, yet… ![“The scholar only knows how dear these silent, yet eloquent, companions of pure thoughts and innocent hours become in the season of adversity. When all that is worldly turns to dross around us, these only retain their steady value.” quote by Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9e/washington-irving-1386_adversity_the-scholar-only-knows-how-dear-these-si_315030.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9e/washington-irving-1386_adversity_the-scholar-only-knows-how-dear-these-si_315030.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9e/washington-irving-1386_adversity_the-scholar-only-knows-how-dear-these-si_315030.png) > “The scholar only knows how dear these silent, yet eloquent, companions of pure thoughts and innocent hours become in the season of adversity. When all that is worldly turns to dross around us, these only retain their steady value.” [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In hardship, the quiet companions of thought retain their worth while worldly matters degrade. **In simple terms:** During adversity, inner thoughts stay valuable as external things decay. Key Takeaway Cultivate inner reflection during tough times. Themes philosophy resilience solitude value Mood contemplative inspirational Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - personal crises - creative work - spiritual practice Key Concepts inner peace introspection steadfastness Questions to Reflect On - How can one protect inner thought in chaos? - What practices sustain mental steadiness? A Different Perspective If external pressures dominate, inner value may be ignored. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversity/) [Companion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/companion/) [Eloquent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eloquent/) [Scholar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scholar/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) ## Related quotes > [A scholar knows no boredom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/a-scholar-knows-no-boredom/) [Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/) > [Sometimes, to be silent is to be most eloquent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlton-heston/sometimes-to-be-silent-is-to-be-most-eloquent/) [Charlton Heston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlton-heston/) > [A picture that is ghostly and silent can be more eloquent and less clichéd than a noisier photo-journalistic approach and I have attempted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-norfolk/a-picture-that-is-ghostly-and-silent-can-be-more-eloquent-and-less/) Simon Norfolk > ['T is heaven alone that is given away; 'T is only God may be had for the asking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/t-is-heaven-alone-that-is-given-away-t-is-only-god-may-be-had-for-the/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [The man who dies leaving behind him millions of available wealth, which was his to administer during his life, will pass away unwept, unhonoured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-carnegie/the-man-who-dies-leaving-behind-him-millions-of-available-wealth/) [Andrew Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-carnegie/) > [At fifteen one is first beginning to realize that everything isn't money and power in this world, and is casting about for joys that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-benchley/at-fifteen-one-is-first-beginning-to-realize-that-everything-isn-t/) [Robert Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-benchley/) > [You cannot make steel until you have made the iron white-hot in fire. It is not meant for harm. Trouble and disease have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/you-cannot-make-steel-until-you-have-made-the-iron-white-hot-in-fire/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [The sense itself was I. I felt no dross or matter in my soul, no brims or borders, such as in a bowl we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-traherne/the-sense-itself-was-i-i-felt-no-dross-or-matter-in-my-soul-no-brims/) [Thomas Traherne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-traherne/) > [We may scavenge the dross of the nation, we may shudder past bloody sod, But we thrill to the new revelation that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-haven-schauffler/we-may-scavenge-the-dross-of-the-nation-we-may-shudder-past-bloody/) [Robert Haven Schauffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-haven-schauffler/) > [Men that hazard all Do it in hope of fair advantages: A golden mind stoops not to shows of dross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/men-that-hazard-all-do-it-in-hope-of-fair-advantages-a-golden-mind/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [What thou lovest well remains, the rest is dross What thou lov'st well shall not be reft from thee What thou lov'st well is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/what-thou-lovest-well-remains-the-rest-is-dross-what-thou-lov-st-well/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [Fiction, I believed, was the transmutation of experiential dross into linguistic gold. Fiction meant taking up whatever the world had abandoned by the road…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/fiction-i-believed-was-the-transmutation-of-experiential-dross-into/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [A golden mind stoops not to shows of dross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-golden-mind-stoops-not-to-shows-of-dross/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I also have in mind that seemingly wealthy, but most terribly impoverished class of all, who have accumulated dross, but know not how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-also-have-in-mind-that-seemingly-wealthy-but-most-terribly/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [It is hard to know what other way men can come to truth, to lay hold of it, if they do not dig and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-locke/it-is-hard-to-know-what-other-way-men-can-come-to-truth-to-lay-hold/) [John Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-locke/) ## More by Washington Irving > [Some minds corrode and grow inactive under the loss of personal liberty; others grow morbid and irritable; but it is the nature of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/some-minds-corrode-and-grow-inactive-under-the-loss-of-personal/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [Language gradually varies, and with it fade away the writings of authors who have flourished their allotted time; otherwise, the creative powers of genius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/language-gradually-varies-and-with-it-fade-away-the-writings-of/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [A woman's life is a history of the affections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-woman-s-life-is-a-history-of-the-affections/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-father-may-turn-his-back-on-his-child-brothers-and-sisters-may/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [Over no nation does the press hold a more absolute control than over the people of America, for the universal education of the poorest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/over-no-nation-does-the-press-hold-a-more-absolute-control-than-over/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [I have never found, in anything outside of the four walls of my study, an enjoyment equal to sitting at my writing desk with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/i-have-never-found-in-anything-outside-of-the-four-walls-of-my-study/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [There is no character in the comedy of human life more difficult to play well than that of an old bachelor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-no-character-in-the-comedy-of-human-life-more-difficult-to/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [He who thinks much says but little in proportion to his thoughts. He selects that language which will convey his ideas in the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/he-who-thinks-much-says-but-little-in-proportion-to-his-thoughts-he/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [A woman's whole life is a history of the affections. The heart is her world: it is there her ambition strives for empire; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-woman-s-whole-life-is-a-history-of-the-affections-the-heart-is-her/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [Redundancy of language is never found with deep reflection. Verbiage may indicate observation, but not thinking. He who thinks much says but little in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/redundancy-of-language-is-never-found-with-deep-reflection-verbiage/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [History fades into fable; fact becomes clouded with doubt and controversy; the inscription molders from the tablet: the statue falls from the pedestal. Columns,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/history-fades-into-fable-fact-becomes-clouded-with-doubt-and/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [There is a majestic grandeur in tranquillity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-a-majestic-grandeur-in-tranquillity/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [There rise authors now and then, who seem proof against the mutability of language, because they have rooted themselves in the unchanging principles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-rise-authors-now-and-then-who-seem-proof-against-the-mutability/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [There is nothing in England that exercises a more delightful spell over my imagination than the lingerings of the holiday customs and rural games…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-nothing-in-england-that-exercises-a-more-delightful-spell/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [It is but seldom that any one overt act produces hostilities between two nations; there exists, more commonly, a previous jealousy and ill will,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/it-is-but-seldom-that-any-one-overt-act-produces-hostilities-between/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) [Explore all 244 Washington Irving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) ## More Adversity quotes > [We love playing together and we love adversity. You know, back-to-back, the two best teams in the East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-nash/we-love-playing-together-and-we-love-adversity-you-know-back-to-back/) [Steve Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-nash/) > [When we have public success we also have private struggles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deion-sanders/when-we-have-public-success-we-also-have-private-struggles/) [Deion Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deion-sanders/) > [“The threats that resurfaced in the past 10 years were not an aberration. Al Qaeda and terrorism or one such threat, but it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/the-threats-that-resurfaced-in-the-past-10-years-were-not-an/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [He who is content with what has been done is an obstacle in the path of progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/he-who-is-content-with-what-has-been-done-is-an-obstacle-in-the-path/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [“Friction is necessary. Ease of life leads to complacency and the atrophy of the human will and spirit. Within our struggles lives our strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-versey/friction-is-necessary-ease-of-life-leads-to-complacency-and-the/) [Jason Versey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-versey/) > [“Every adversity is just another opportunity to excel a little more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/every-adversity-is-just-another-opportunity-to-excel-a-little-more/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [“Just because she doesn't talk about it, doesn't mean she isn't feeling it. She hurts, but she won't wear it on her sleeve. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfa-h/just-because-she-doesn-t-talk-about-it-doesn-t-mean-she-isn-t-feeling/) [Alfa H](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfa-h/) > [Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buckham-kennedy/every-trial-endured-and-weathered-in-the-right-spirit-makes-a-soul/) James Buckham Kennedy > [Honesty, by evil fortune tried, Finds in adversity the seed of praise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/honesty-by-evil-fortune-tried-finds-in-adversity-the-seed-of-praise/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [“Struggles are not associated to a particular people or creed, everyone struggles, not for the same reasons, but each has a personal struggle at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-chirisa/struggles-are-not-associated-to-a-particular-people-or-creed-everyone/) [Wayne Chirisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-chirisa/) > [“Watch a man in times of adversity to discover what kind of man he is; for then at last words of truth are drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/watch-a-man-in-times-of-adversity-to-discover-what-kind-of-man-he-is/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [God often hides His blessing in trouble or trial, which makes it all the sweeter when it comes our way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/god-often-hides-his-blessing-in-trouble-or-trial-which-makes-it-all/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [“Life is not about less mistakes but about more trials”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-sever/life-is-not-about-less-mistakes-but-about-more-trials/) S.E. SEVER > [Show your contempt for the problem and your concern for the person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/show-your-contempt-for-the-problem-and-your-concern-for-the-person/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [When everything feels like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-everything-feels-like-an-uphill-struggle-just-think-of-the-view/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 5,001 Adversity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The scholar only knows how dear these silent, yet eloquent, companions of pure thoughts and innocent hours become in the season of adversity. 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