Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreauwas an American essayist, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, and historian. A leading transcendentalist, Thoreau is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay Resistance to Civil Government, an argument for disobedience to an unjust state...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionAuthor
Date of Birth12 July 1817
CountryUnited States of America
call names
Let us make distinctions, call things by the right names
heavenly humility reveals
Humility like the darkness, reveals the heavenly lights.
bend force government instant itself living losing man recent single though transmit vitality
This American government -- what is it but a tradition, though a recent one, endeavoring to transmit itself unimpaired to posterity, but each instant losing some of its integrity? It has not the vitality and force of a single living man; for a single man can bend it to his will.
cultivate desirable law law-and-lawyers respect
It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for law, so much as a respect for right.
daily-life knows
In their daily life, all are braver than they know.
dinner language parables
The dinner even is only the parable of a dinner, commonly.
slavery four united-states
The United States have a coffle of four millions of slaves. They are determined to keep them in this condition; and Massachusettsis one of the confederated overseers to prevent their escape.
trust spring rivers
The Xanthus or Scamander is not a mere dry channel and bed of a mountain torrent, but fed by the ever-flowing springs of fame... and I trust that I may be allowed to associate our muddy but much abused Concord River with the most famous in history.
suspicion findings paid
We are always paid for our suspicion by finding what we suspect.
rebellion demon behavior
if i repent of anything, it is very likely to be my good behavior. what demon possessed me that i behaved so well?
wonder prepared seeds
Wherever you have planted a seed, I am prepared to expect wonders.
echoes voice nymphs
The echo is, to some extent, an original sound, and therein is the magic and charm of it. It is not merely a repetition of what was worth repeating in the bell, but partly the voice of the wood; the same trivial words and notes sung by a wood-nymph.
sloth laziness virtuous
The Slothful do not have the time to become virtuous or despicable.
attribute character determined falsely family large man men pity poor presume putting silent support together worse
We falsely attribute to men a determined character -- putting together all their yesterdays -- and averaging them -- we presume we know them. Pity the man who has character to support -- it is worse than a large family -- he is the silent poor indeed.