Henry David Thoreau Quotes

Live the life you've dreamed.... -Henry David Thoreau

There are moments when all anxiety and stated toil are becalmed in the infinite leisure and repose of nature.

The law will never make a man free; it is men who ... -Henry David Thoreau

The law will never make a man free; it is men who have got to make the law free.

Discovering the context

This quote suggests that true freedom cannot be achieved solely through legislation or legal systems but requires individuals, specifically men, to actively advocate for a free society.

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.

We are for the most part more lonely when we go abroad among men than when we stay in our chambers. A man thinking or working is always alone, let him be where he will.

Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.

Many men go fishing all of their lives without kno... -Henry David Thoreau

Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.

This world is but a canvas to our imagination.

As in geology, so in social institutions, we may discover the causes of all past changes in the present invariable order of society.

Thank God men cannot fly, and lay waste the sky as... -Henry David Thoreau

Thank God men cannot fly, and lay waste the sky as well as the earth.

Discovering the context

This quote humorously expresses gratitude that men do not possess the ability to fly, as it implies that if they could, they would cause destruction or havoc not only on the earth but also in the sky.

Money is not required to buy one necessity of the ... -Henry David Thoreau

Money is not required to buy one necessity of the soul.

The perception of beauty is a moral test.

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.

There are certain pursuits which, if not wholly poetic and true, do at least suggest a nobler and finer relation to nature than we know. The keeping of bees, for instance.

Our life is frittered away by detail... simplify, ... -Henry David Thoreau

Our life is frittered away by detail... simplify, simplify.

The light which puts out our eyes is darkness to us. Only that day dawns to which we are awake. There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star.

Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in w... -Henry David Thoreau

Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.

If I knew for a certainty that a man was coming to my house with the conscious design of doing me good, I should run for my life.

There is no value in life except what you choose to place upon it and no happiness in any place except what you bring to it yourself.

What is called genius is the abundance of life and... -Henry David Thoreau

What is called genius is the abundance of life and health.

Discovering the context

This quote links the concept of genius to having an abundance of life and good health. It implies that vibrant health and vitality contribute to the emergence of genius or exceptional abilities. It suggests that physical well-being can play a significant role in fostering creativity and exceptional achievements.

While civilization has been improving our houses, it has not equally improved the men who are to inhabit them. It has created palaces, but it was not so easy to create noblemen and kings.

The life which men praise and regard as successful is but one kind. Why should we exaggerate any one kind at the expense of the others?

The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation.