Henry David Thoreau Quotes
Henry David Thoreau was an American writer, philosopher, and abolitionist. He is best known for his book Walden, which chronicles his experiences living in a cabin in the woods near Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau was a staunch advocate for individual rights and civil disobedience, and his quotes reflect his beliefs. Here are some of the most famous Henry David Thoreau Quotes.
A collection of the best Henry David Thoreau Quotes on simple living, self-reliance, nature, and more.
Henry David Thoreau Quotes
“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” ~ (Henry David Thoreau).
“If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment.” – Henry David Thoreau
“To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.” – Henry David Thoreau
“Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.” – Henry David Thoreau
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined.” ~ (Henry David Thoreau).
Henry David Thoreau Quotes About Nature
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” ~ (Henry David Thoreau).
“It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?” – Henry David Thoreau
“Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations.” – Henry David Thoreau
“Life isn’t about finding yourself; it’s about creating yourself. So live the life you imagined.” ~ (Henry David Thoreau).
Henry David Thoreau Quotes on Nature
“Never look back unless you are planning to go that way.” ~ (Henry David Thoreau).
“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.” ~ (Henry David Thoreau).
“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.” – Henry David Thoreau
“The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right.” – Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau Quotes Nature
“This world is but a canvas for our imagination.” ~ (Henry David Thoreau).
“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.” ~ (Henry David Thoreau).
“The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.” – Henry David Thoreau
“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.” – Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau Quotes Walden
“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.” ~ (Henry David Thoreau).
“You cannot dream yourself into a character: you must hammer and forge yourself into one.” ~ (Henry David Thoreau).
“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.” ~ (Henry David Thoreau).
“Dreams are the touchstones of our characters.” – Henry David Thoreau
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined.” – Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau Quotes From Walden
“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.” – Henry David Thoreau
“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.” ~ (Henry David Thoreau).
“How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.” ~ (Henry David Thoreau).
Henry David Thoreau Quotes From Civil Disobedience
“Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.” ~ (Henry David Thoreau).
“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.”
― Henry David Thoreau
“What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.” ~ (Henry David Thoreau).
Henry David Thoreau Quotes on Civil Disobedience
“We are constantly invited to be who we are.” ~ (Henry David Thoreau).
“I find it wholesome to be alone the greater part of the time. To be in company, even with the best, is soon wearisome and dissipating. I love to be alone. I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.”
― Henry David Thoreau, Walden
“The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” ~ (Henry David Thoreau).
“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.” ~ (Henry David Thoreau).
“How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.”
― Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau Quotes About Life
“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.”
― Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Or, Life in the Woods
“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. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms…”
― Henry David Thoreau
“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.”
― Henry David Thoreau, Walden
What Did Henry David Thoreau Say?
Henry David Thoreau was an American essayist, poet, and philosopher. He is best known for his book Walden, which chronicles his experience living in a cabin in the woods near Concord, Massachusetts. In Walden, Thoreau advocates for simple living and self–sufficiency. He is also known for his essay “Civil Disobedience,” in which he argues that citizens should disobey unjust laws.
What Were Henry David Thoreau’s Last Words?
Henry David Thoreau passed away on May 6th, 1862 from tuberculosis. His last words were “moose…Indian…”. These were his final thoughts before dying and signified his love for nature and the wilderness.
What Was Henry David Thoreau Most Known For?
Henry David Thoreau was most known for his work as an American essayist, poet, and philosopher. He was also an abolitionist and a leading transcendentalist. Thoreau is best known for his book Walden, which details his experience living in a simple cabin in the woods for two years. He is also known for his famous essay “Civil Disobedience,” in which he advocated for nonviolent resistance to unjust laws.
What Is Henry David Thoreau Saying in Walden?
Henry David Thoreau is an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, and historian. Walden is an autobiographical account of Thoreau‘s experiences while living in a simple cabin near Walden Pond. In Walden, Thoreau reflects on simple living, transcendentalism, and the urge to find meaning in life through self–reliance, simplicity, and a connection to nature. Thoreau‘s Walden has been read as a call to action, an inspiration for the environmental movement, and a critique of materialism and consumer culture.
Henry David Thoreau Quotes are thought-provoking and offer valuable insights into life. He had a deep understanding of human nature and was able to communicate his ideas in a way that is still relevant today. His quotes can inspire us to think more deeply about our own lives and to make the most of our time on this earth.
