Henry David Thoreau Philosophical Quotes

Writer, Philosopher

Philosophical

“The forests are held cheap after the white pine has been culled out; and the explorers and hunters pray for rain only to clear theatmosphere of smoke.”

White Rain Hunters

♥ 3

Henry David Thoreau

Writer, Philosopher

Philosophical

“Indeed, the life of cattle, like that of many men, is but a sort of locomotiveness; they move a side at a time, and man, by his machinery, is meeting the horse and the ox half-way.”

Men Moving Horse

♥ 3

Philosophical

“What a pity if we do not live this short time according to the laws of the long time,--the eternal laws!”

Long Law Time

♥ 3

Philosophical

“The theories and speculations of men concern us more than their puny accomplishment. It is with a certain coldness and languor that we loiter about the actual and so-called practical.”

Men Action Theory

♥ 3

Philosophical

“The heroic books, even if printed in the character of our mother tongue, will always be in a language dead to degenerate times; and we must laboriously seek the meaning of each word and line, conjecturing a larger sense than common use permits out of what wisdom and valor and generosity we have. The modern cheap and fertile press, with all its translations, has done little to bring us nearer to the heroic writers of antiquity. They seem as solitary, and the letter in which they are printed as rare and curious, as ever.”

Book Character Mother

♥ 3

Philosophical

“My neighbors tell me of their adventures with famous gentlemen and ladies, what notabilities they met at the dinner-table; but I am no more interested in such things than in the contents of the Daily Times. The interest and the conversation are about costume and manners chiefly; but a goose is a goose still, dress it as you will.”

Adventure Gentleman Gossip

♥ 3

Philosophical

“I do not know but it is too much to read one newspaper a week. I have tried it recently, and for so long it seems to me that I have not dwelt in my native region. The sun, the clouds, the snow, the trees say not so much to me. You cannot serve two masters.”

Long Two Clouds

♥ 3

Philosophical

“The newspapers are the ruling power. Any other government is reduced to a few marines at Fort Independence. If a man neglects to read the Daily Times, government will go down on its knees to him, for this is the only treason these days.”

Men Independence Marine

♥ 3

Philosophical

“The news we hear, for the most part, is not news to our genius. It is the stalest repetition.”

Genius News Journalism

♥ 3

Philosophical

“The fact which the politician faces is merely that there is less honor among thieves than was supposed, and not the fact that theyare thieves.”

Faces Honor Thieves

♥ 3

Philosophical

“The sort of morality which the priests inculcate is a very subtle policy, far finer than the politicians', and the world is very successfully ruled by them as the policemen.”

World Power Morality

♥ 3

Philosophical

“I do not wish to quarrel with any man or nation. I do not wish to split hairs, to make fine distinctions, or set myself up as better than my neighbors. I seek rather, I may say, even an excuse for conforming to the laws of the land. I am but too ready to conform to them. Indeed, I have reason to suspect myself on this head; and each year, as the tax-gatherer comes round, I find myself disposed to review the acts and position of the general and State governments, and the spirit of the people, to discover a pretext for conformity.”

Men Years Hair

♥ 3

Henry David Thoreau — Philosophical Quotes

Henry David Thoreau Quotes