About Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading transcendentalist, he is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay “Civil Disobedience”, an argument for disobedience to an unjust state.
Born: 12 July 1817, Concord, Massachusetts, United States
Died: 6 May 1862, Concord, Massachusetts, United States
100 Top Quotes by Henry David Thoreau in English
- “Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.”
- “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life.”
- “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.”
- “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”
- “It is not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?”
- “In proportion as our inward life fails, we go more constantly and desperately to the post-office.”
- “Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!”
- “I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.”
- “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”
- “The language of friendship is not words but meanings.”
- “Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life so. Aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something.”
- “It is only when we forget all our learning that we begin to know.”
- “Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.”
- “The only wealth is life.”
- “Live your life, do your work, then take your hat.”
- “Things do not change; we change.”
- “This world is but a canvas to our imagination.”
- “The universe is wider than our views of it.”
- “As if you could kill time without injuring eternity.”
- “Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.”
- “If you would convince a man that he does wrong, do right. But do not care to convince him. Men will believe what they see. Let them see.”
- “To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.”
- “The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready.”
- “It is never too late to give up our prejudices.”
- “Things are pretty, graceful, rich, elegant, handsome, but, until they speak to the imagination, not yet beautiful.”
- “The artist is the only person who is never serious.”
- “The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer.”
- “What lies before us and what lies behind us are small matters compared to what lies within us.”
- “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
- “Aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something.”
- “It is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things.”
- “The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend.”
- “Our life is like a German Confederacy, made up of petty states, with its boundary forever fluctuating, so that even a German cannot tell you how it is bounded at any moment.”
- “I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.”
- “The only true gift is a portion of yourself.”
- “Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life so. Aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something.”
- “The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.”
- “Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.”
- “Rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness… give me truth.”
- “Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain.”
- “Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.”
- “All good things are wild and free.”
- “The question is not what you look at, but what you see.”
- “The only way to tell the truth is to speak with kindness. Only the words of a loving man can be heard.”
- “I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright.”
- “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
- “Men are born to succeed, not to fail.”
- “The bluebird carries the sky on his back.”
- “To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school, but so to love wisdom as to live according to its dictates, a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity, and trust.”
- “We are constantly invited to be what we are not.”
- “Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.”
- “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”
- “I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”
- “The sun is but a morning star.”
- “The man who speaks the truth is always at ease, without care of consequences.”
- “A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.”
- “Happiness is like a butterfly: the more you chase it, the more it will elude you. But if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.”
- “It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?”
- “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
- “It is not part of a true culture to tame tigers, any more than it is to make sheep ferocious.”
- “I have a room all to myself; it is nature.”
- “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”
- “One is not born into the world to do everything but to do something.”
- “To a philosopher, all news, as it is called, is gossip, and they who edit and read it are old women over their tea.”
- “We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal and then leap in the dark to our success.”
- “It is only when we forget all our learning that we begin to know.”
- “Things do not change; we change.”
- “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”
- “The only way to tell the truth is to speak with kindness. Only the words of a loving man can be heard.”
- “I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.”
- “I love to be alone. I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.”
- “Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.”
- “In wildness is the preservation of the world.”
- “The universe is wider than our views of it.”
- “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”
- “It is not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?”
- “The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.”
- “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”
- “As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.”
- “It is better to have your head in the clouds, and know where you are… than to breathe the clearer atmosphere below them, and think that you are in paradise.”
- “The true harvest of my life is intangible – a little star dust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched.”
- “I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.”
- “Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.”
- “Do not lose hold of your dreams or aspirations. For if you do, you may still exist but you have ceased to live.”
- “Our life is frittered away by detail… simplify, simplify.”
- “The language of friendship is not words but meanings.”
- “It is better to have your head in the clouds, and know where you are… than to breathe the clearer atmosphere below them, and think that you are in paradise.”
- “I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.”
- “Things do not change; we change.”
- “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”
- “Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.”
- “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
- “Be not simply good – be good for something.”
- “Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.”
- “I have always been regretting that I was not as wise as the day I was born.”
- “You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.”
- “Dreams are the touchstones of our character.”
- “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”
- “The man who goes alone can start today, but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready.”
FAQs:
Who was Henry David Thoreau?
Henry David Thoreau was an American writer, philosopher, and naturalist who lived from 1817 to 1862. He is best known for his book “Walden” and for his essay “Civil Disobedience.”
What is “Walden” about?
“Walden” is a book that describes Thoreau’s experience of living in a small cabin in the woods near Walden Pond in Massachusetts. The book is a reflection on the virtues of simple living, self-sufficiency, and the natural world.
What is “Civil Disobedience” about?
“Civil Disobedience” is an essay in which Thoreau argues that individuals have a moral obligation to resist unjust laws and government policies. He advocates for nonviolent resistance and the pursuit of a higher moral law.
Was Thoreau involved in any political or social movements?
Thoreau was involved in several political and social movements of his time, including the abolitionist movement and the Transcendentalist movement. He was a close friend of fellow Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson.
What is Transcendentalism?
Transcendentalism was a philosophical and literary movement that emerged in the 19th century in the United States. It emphasized the importance of individualism, nature, and spiritual intuition.
Did Thoreau have any notable literary influences?
Thoreau was heavily influenced by the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson, who was his mentor and friend. He was also influenced by the writings of the ancient Greek philosophers and by the works of the English Romantics.
Did Thoreau ever travel outside of the United States?
No, Thoreau never traveled outside of the United States. He was known for his love of the natural world and spent much of his life exploring the forests and rivers of New England.
Did Thoreau have any other notable works besides “Walden” and “Civil Disobedience”?
Yes, Thoreau wrote several other books and essays, including “A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers,” “The Maine Woods,” and “Slavery in Massachusetts.”
Did Thoreau have any impact on the environmental movement?
Thoreau’s work had a significant impact on the environmental movement of the 20th century. His writings helped to inspire the development of environmentalism as a political and social movement.
What is Thoreau’s legacy?
Thoreau’s legacy is one of environmentalism, individualism, and resistance to unjust authority. His ideas about simple living and self-sufficiency continue to inspire people today, and his call for nonviolent resistance and the pursuit of a higher moral law has influenced many social and political movements around the world.
