Decay and disease are often beautiful, like the pearly tear of the shellfish and the hectic glow of consumption.
Source: Journals, entry for 11 June 1852
-- Henry David Thoreau, (Jul 12 1817-1862), US essayist, poet, naturalist; He is best known for his description of life at Walden Pond, Walden, 1854 and his essay Civil Disobedience, 1849.