Quote by Henry David Thoreau, Walden, Whe

Still we live meanly, like ants; though the fable tells us that we were long ago changed into men; like pygmies we fight with cranes; it is error upon error, and clout upon clout, and our best virtue has for its occasion a superfluous and evitable wretchedness. Our life is frittered away by detail. An honest man has hardly need to count more than his ten fingers, or in extreme cases he may add his ten toes, and lump the rest. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail. In the midst of this chopping sea of civilized life, such are the clouds and storms and quicksands and thousand-and-one items to be allowed for, that a man has to live, if he would not founder and go to the bottom and not make his port at all, by dead reckoning, and he must be a great calculator indeed who succeeds. Simplify, simplify. Instead of three meals a day, if it be necessary eat but one; instead of a hundred dishes, five; and reduce other things in proportion.

Summary

This quote by Henry David Thoreau highlights the notion that modern society often complicates and burdens our lives. Thoreau criticizes how we, as humans, continue to live in a petty and mundane manner, even though we possess the potential for greater achievements. He emphasizes the need to simplify our lives, rejecting excess and indulgence. Thoreau suggests that true freedom and happiness can be found by focusing on a few essential matters and eliminating unnecessary complexities. By living with simplicity and reducing our desires, we can lead more fulfilling lives and avoid being overwhelmed by the constant demands and distractions of modern civilization.