Literary notes about durable (AI summary)
In literature, "durable" is deployed to evoke a sense of enduring strength or lasting quality, whether regarding material objects or abstract virtues. Sometimes it emphasizes the tangible—such as in descriptions of robust armor, resilient timber, or imperishable parchment [1, 2, 3]—while at other times it illustrates the persistence of ideas, sentiments, or social institutions [4, 5, 6]. Authors use the term to juxtapose fleeting phenomena with elements that withstand time and decay, underscoring both physical solidity and the lasting impact of moral or intellectual principles [7, 8, 9]. This versatility allows "durable" to serve as a bridge between the concrete and the abstract, highlighting the interplay of endurance across various dimensions of human experience [10, 11].
- And he granted unto me the impenetrable mail—the best of its kind, and easy to the touch; and fastened unto the Gandiva this durable string.
— from The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1 - Wood pale, strong, tough, fine-grained, durable and heavy, valuable timber.
— from Boy Scouts Handbook by Boy Scouts of America - Parchment is durable—almost imperishable.
— from The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 1 by Edgar Allan Poe - It must depend upon durable principles of the mind, which extend over the whole conduct, and enter into the personal character.
— from A Treatise of Human Nature by David Hume - 30. More durable than brass a monument I’ve raised.
— from The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Complete by Suetonius - It may contribute admirably to the transient greatness of a man, but it cannot ensure the durable prosperity of a nation.
— from Democracy in America — Volume 1 by Alexis de Tocqueville - Reason shows and experience proves that no commercial prosperity can be durable if it cannot be united, in case of need, to naval force.
— from Democracy in America — Volume 1 by Alexis de Tocqueville - The land constitutes by far the greatest, the most important, and the most durable part of the wealth of every extensive country.
— from An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith - These alone are durable enough to affect our sentiments concerning the person.
— from A Treatise of Human Nature by David Hume - “I am laying down good intentions, which I believe durable as flint.
— from Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë - Hence, I have shown by what methods the parts which are not considered solid can be rendered durable, and how they are constructed.
— from The Ten Books on Architecture by Vitruvius Pollio
