Though he died May 6, 1862 (at the age of 44), many of Henry David Thoreau quotes are still a source of inspiration for many people today.
The American poet and philosopher are well-known for his book ‘Walden’ and essay ‘Civil Disobedience,’ which inspired the political views and acts of many notable persons in society.
Some of them are the American Baptist minister and activist Martin Luther King Jr., the Indian lawyer and political ethicist Mahatma Gandhi, and the Russian writer and multiple nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize and Nobel Prize in Literature Leo Tolstoy.
Thoreau is now widely recognized as one of the most important American writers, owing to the contemporary clarity of his literary style as well as the insight of his ideas on nature and politics.
Who is Henry David Thoreau?
Henry David Thoreau’s parents are John Thoreau and Cynthia Dunbar, and he is born July 12, 1817.
They used to live in the Wheeler-Minot Farmhouse that is located in Concord, Massachusetts – where their family is considered to be the modest “New England Family”.
With regards to his educational background, he studied at Harvard College from 1833 to 1837. Since traditional professionals during the time did not interest him, Thoreau decided to be a teacher at Canton, Massachusetts in 1835.
When he graduated in 1837, he joined as a teacher at the Concord Public School. However, he resigned after a few weeks to avoid administering corporal punishment.
In 1838, he and his brother John founded Concord Academy, a grammar school in Concord. Nature hikes and visits to local stores and companies were among the revolutionary initiatives they offered.
When John fell critically ill from tetanus in 1842 after cutting himself while shaving, the school ceased its operations.
When he decided to return to Concord, he met the American essayist, philosopher, and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Emerson introduced Thoreau to other local writers and thinkers, then he started to contribute essays and poems in a quarterly periodical.
Being a philosopher of nature and its relation to the human condition, he followed Transcendentalism.
They believed that an ideal spiritual condition transcends, or goes beyond, the physical and practical, and that personal intuition, rather than religious teaching, is the path to such understanding.
Nature, they believe, is the outer manifestation of an inner spirit, exhibiting the “radical connection of visible objects and human thinking,” as Emerson expressed it in Nature (1836).
Thoreau then moved to the Emerson house from 1841 to 1844 as a children’s tutor. At the same time, he was also the editorial assistant, repairman, and gardener.
On July 4, 1845, Thoreau started to perform a two-year experiment of simple living – moving to a small house that he built on Emerson’s land.
In the following year, he ran into a local tax collector and asked to pay six years of delinquent poll taxes. He refused to pay due to his opposition to the Mexican-American War and their slavery.
He was freed the next day when someone paid the taxes. He gave lectures at the Concord Lyceum in January and February 1848 on “The Rights and Duties of the Individual in Relation to Government” justifying his tax opposition.
The said lecture was revised as an essay, entitled “Resistance to Civil Government” that is also familiar to some as the ‘Civil Disobedience”.
Moving forward to 1854, he revised his manuscript for a book that reminisces his two years, two months, and two days of living in the Walden Pond.
It was later on published with the title “Walden” or “Life in the Woods”, which is considered part memoir and part spiritual quest.
He moved out of Emerson’s house in 1848 and decided to live in 255 Main Street, Concord, Massachusets. The place is currently a historical house and called ‘Thoreau-Alcott House”.1
The Best Henry David Thoreau Quotes
Thoreau lived a simple life, which reflects on the way he lived and through his works. Many people believe that Thoreau’s philosophies can help anyone have a better personal development without considering society’s ideals and does not care about luxury and money. Here are some of the inspiring quotes that may inspire living an uncomplicated life.
1. “Never look back unless you are planning to go that way.”
Here is one of the reasons why people can’t seem to move forward – they keep looking at things that they have left behind. The key to moving on while lessening the feeling of regret is to keep walking towards what the future will bring.
2. “Be yourself – not your idea of what you think somebody else’s idea of yourself should be.”
Isn’t it happy to live in a world where you can be who you truly are? Maintaining a lifestyle of what people expect you to be can be stressful and damages your true and amazing personality. Learn to be yourself instead of pleasing others.
3. “Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations.”
As they say, education is the only wealth that no one can take away from anyone. Books supply learning to any of its readers – no matter how old a book is. This also gives the chance to let the younger generations have an idea of how people lived in the past.
4. “Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.”
Especially with the world today, technology made our lives easier. Multitasking became a thing, as people try to do more in less time. That sounds convenient, but we have lost the beauty of doing things where we cherish every moment and pay attention even to the smallest detail.
5. “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined.”
Never stop believing that you can reach your dreams. There is nothing unreachable to someone that has the will to do their best just to live the life they always wanted. Once you reached your dream, don’t ever forget to keep your feet on the ground.
6. “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately…”
In the fast-paced living that is happening in the world today, it would be great to take a break in a place where you can enjoy a simple life. This will be a great opportunity to refresh the mind, reminisce the good things in life, and find peace.
7. “Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.”
True freedom would mean doing whatever you want, even if it is bound by law or restrictions. Those who are obedient do their best to follow these rules and regulations, as Thoreau compared it to a slave. This may not be applicable to today’s world, but it gives the idea that somehow, we are not truly free.
8. “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”
Seasons are like the different phases of human life. Make sure to get the most out of it and cherish every moment. This will help you enjoy every ‘season’ of it.
9. “As if you could kill time without injuring eternity.”
Everything that we do today will have an effect in the future. No matter how big or small, the actions that we perform will have an equivalent consequence that can change the way we live at some point.
10. “If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment.”
If we know how to manage our expectations, we will not be disappointed. However, if we already felt regret, it would be better to stay calm instead of flying into a rage. This will be compensated with a gift of peace of mind.
11. “The language of Friendship is not words, but meanings.”
True friends do not base their friendship on the words that they say, rather it should be supported by action that gives the real meaning to it. This does not mean that a person that you talk to every day can already be considered as your friend.
12. “As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.”
Simplifying the way we live has many benefits attached to it. Since people evolve from nature, it just fits to adopt this way of being. We will be able to see a different perspective rather than checking the uncomplicated life process that the world imposes on us today.
13. “Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new.”
People would find it funny to wae something that has been trendy a decade ago. However, if we truly believe in living a simple life, even wearing outdated clothes would be more than enough. The new fashions released today will also be an old fashion in the future.
13. “An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.”
Have you ever tried to walk outside when the sun is not yet up? Witnessing how the sun slowly flashes its light is a true beauty that can be appreciated by everyone. In addition, the fact that you are in a freat walking condition is something to be thankful for.
14. “When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable. I see no foe. I an related to the earliest times, and to the latest.”
Music can take us virtually anywhere, including the different emotions that it gives to the listener. New and old songs both give a time travel effect, where people can reminisce what they remember on the old song and expect what the new ones will sound like on the new songs.
15. “It’s not worth our while to let our imperfections disturb us always.”
Accepting the real you will bring so much confidence and happiness to your life. When you focus on your imperfections, it gives you the opportunity to envy others and try to be your best. In the end, there is nothing beautiful brought by highlighting what you lack. Focus more on what you are good at.
16. “You cannot dream yourself into a character: you must hammer and forge yourself into one.”
If you would like to change into someone you wanted to be, exert a significant effort towards that change. It is not enough to just imagine it and wish for the change to happen.
17. “We are born as innocents. We are polluted by advice.”
Tabula Rasa or the “absence of preconceived ideas or predetermined goals”, is a theory that everyone begins life with a clean slate of mind. The knowledge we collect as we grow old fills up our mind and as mentioned, advice sometimes pollutes the way we think.
18. “We are constantly invited to be who we are.”
No matter how much we try who we wanted to be, there are instances where life will require us to be who we really are. Maintaining an alternative personality can make situations worst, therefore nothing beats the real you.
19. “Thank God men cannot fly, and lay waste the sky as well as the earth.”
Humans are always credited for the pollution in the environment. Imagine the landfills, the dirty sewerages, and many others that have been once clean and beautiful. The worst could even happen if humans know how to fly. There could be trashed falling from the sky.
20. “Renew thyself completely each day.”
People often overuse their body and do not give it the proper rest it requires. Aside from having a work-life balance, make sure that all of your life’s aspects are properly recharged – such as physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social well-being.
21. “Do not hire a man who does your work for money, but him who does it for love of it.”
Money is considered to be one of the greatest motivators when it comes to working. However, there is a big difference between someone who works for money and someone who has a passion for it. The latter is more productive and has better output.
22. “If a plant cannot live according to its nature, it dies; and so a man.”
Just like the comparison stated above, man needs to adapt to his environment in order to survive. Man cannot just simply live the way he or she wanted to – especially in a place that it is hard to adjust to.
23. “I make myself rich by making I want few.”
People spend a significant amount of money and effort in order to achieve their never-ending list of wants. Become richer just by keeping your wants very little, and see your riches grow in no time.
24. “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me the truth.”
Sometimes, there is nothing in the world that is more important than knowing the truth. It could be hard to live in a world of lies, as it can affect love, money, or fame. Truth is sometimes the simplest thing that you can give someone, yet it could be hard to deliver.
25. “Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.”
The best books become popular fast, that many people would come rushing just to read it at first. Once it is already at the peak of its popularity, people will leave and share their own reviews. Unfortunately, if you haven’t read it yet at that point, you might already overhear some of the contents of that book.
After reading the selected Henry David Thoreau quotes above, his intelligence and philosophy of living simply to the fullest can bring a kind of fulfillment that even wants can’t.
These quotes reflect the way he lived his life when he was writing it. Even if it is written here as a quote with no random order, readers will get a clear picture of his thoughts and perspective.
Aside from promoting simplicity, Thoreau also emphasized how we can manage to see the direction of where our dreams take us. His words have the power to change your perspective in the way you see the world.
His commitment to living his life as he saw fit and sharing his Transcendentalist views created a whole philosophy on what humans may learn from nature and make their own judgments.
Based on the quotes you have read today, what do you think is the best one that you can relate to your life and why? Is there a Thoreau quote that you would like to apply in your life today? What would it be?
