Two quotes
“We are all sculptors and painters, and our material is our own flesh and blood and bones. Any nobleness begins at once to refine [a person’s] features, any meanness or sensuality to imbrue them.” — Henry David Thoreau
I have not read all of Walden, but I think what Thoreau is talking about has to do with the concept of physiognomy, the idea popular in the 19th century that your moral character can affect your physical appearance. “Imbrue” means to stain.
“We are not lacking in the dynamic forces needed to create the future. We live immersed in a sea of energy beyond all comprehension.” –Thomas Berry
According to Wikipedia, Berry was “a cultural historian and scholar [in the late 20th and early 21st centuries] of the world’s religions, especially Asian traditions.” Regarding this quote, I think one of the hardest things in life is to control your own energy. And sometimes that means controlling your anger. The post-punk group PIL has a well-known song with the line, “anger is an energy.”