Many a man gets weary of clamping down on his rough impulses, which if given occasional release would encourage the living of life with salt in it, in place of dust.

Haskins contrasts strict self-repression (“clamping down on…rough impulses”) with a more humane, moderated allowance for spontaneity. The “rough impulses” are not necessarily vicious; they are the raw energies—anger, desire, play, risk—that make a person feel vividly alive. His metaphor opposes “salt,” which flavors and preserves, to “dust,” which suggests dryness, staleness, and lifeless routine. The point is not to abandon restraint, but to recognize that unrelenting control can exhaust the will and drain life of savor. Occasional, socially tolerable release can restore vitality and prevent a person from becoming emotionally desiccated or morally brittle.