Henry David Thoreau Quotes

A collection of quotes by Henry David Thoreau.

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was an American essayist, philosopher, and naturalist, best known for his book "Walden" and his essay "Civil Disobedience." He was born in Concord, Massachusetts, where he spent the majority of his life.

Thoreau was known for his deep connection to nature and his belief in the importance of individuality and self-reliance. He graduated from Harvard University in 1837 and began working as a teacher. However, he soon left the profession to focus on his writing and philosophical pursuits.

In the summer of 1845, Thoreau embarked on a two-year experiment living in a small cabin he built himself on the shores of Walden Pond. This experience formed the basis of his most famous work, "Walden," which explores his reflections on nature, simplicity, and the pursuit of a meaningful life.

Thoreau was also a staunch advocate for social and political reform. His essay "Civil Disobedience" influenced many famous figures, including Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., and laid the groundwork for the concept of nonviolent resistance.

Throughout his life, Thoreau challenged societal norms and advocated for the preservation of the natural world. His writings continue to inspire and engage readers with their insights into the relationship between humanity, nature, and the pursuit of a meaningful existence.

Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.

Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.

Henry David Thoreau


If one advances confidently in the direction of one's dreams

If one advances confidently in the direction of one's dreams, and endeavors to live the life which one has imagined, one will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.

Henry David Thoreau


Whatever my own practice may be, I have no doubt that it is

Whatever my own practice may be, I have no doubt that it is a part of the destiny of the human race, in its gradual improvement, to leave off eating animals, as surely as the savage tribes have left off eating each other when they came in contact with the more civilized.

Henry David Thoreau


How does it become a man to behave toward this American gove

How does it become a man to behave toward this American government today? I answered that he cannot without disgrace be associated with it.

Henry David Thoreau


Read the best books first, or else you may not have a chance

Read the best books first, or else you may not have a chance to read them at all.

Henry David Thoreau


Do not lose hold of your dreams or aspirations. For if you d

Do not lose hold of your dreams or aspirations. For if you do, you may still exist but you have ceased to live.

Henry David Thoreau


Time is but the stream I go a-fishin in. I drink at it, but

Time is but the stream I go a-fishin in. I drink at it, but while I drink I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is. It's thin current slides away, but eternity remains.

Henry David Thoreau


Dreams are the touchstones of our characters.

Dreams are the touchstones of our characters.

Henry David Thoreau


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

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

Henry David Thoreau


and the cost of a thing is the amountof what I will call lif

and the cost of a thing is the amountof what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it,immediately or in the long run

Henry David Thoreau


If a thousand were not to pay their tax-bills this year, tha

If a thousand were not to pay their tax-bills this year, that would not be a violent and bloody measure, as it would be to pay them, and enable the State to commit violence and shed innocent blood. This is, in fact, the definition of a peaceable revolution, if any such is possible.

Henry David Thoreau


Thank God men cannot as yet fly and lay waste the sky as wel

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

Henry David Thoreau


The cost of a things is the amount of what I call life which

The cost of a things is the amount of what I call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.

Henry David Thoreau


None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm

None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm

Henry David Thoreau


I never found a companion that was so companionable as solit

I never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude.

Henry David Thoreau


To a philosopher all news, as it is called, is gossip, and t

To a philosopher all news, as it is called, is gossip, and they who edit it and read it are old women over their tea

Henry David Thoreau


There are old heads in the world who cannot help me by their

There are old heads in the world who cannot help me by their example or advice to live worthily and satisfactorily to myself; but I believe that it is in my power to elevate myself this very hour above the common level of my life.

Henry David Thoreau


We should come home from adventures, and perils, and discove

We should come home from adventures, and perils, and discoveries every day with new experience and character

Henry David Thoreau


One may discover a new side to his most intimate friend when

One may discover a new side to his most intimate friend when for the first time he hears him speak in public. He will be stranger to him as he is more familiar to the audience. The longest intimacy could not foretell how he would behave then.

Henry David Thoreau


I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, t

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