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What is wanted is men of principle, who recognize a higher law than the decision of the majority. The marines and the militia whose bodies were used lately were not men of sense nor of principle in a high moral sense they were not men at all.

Henry David Thoreau

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Henry David Thoreau
Age: 44 †
Born: 1817
Born: July 12
Died: 1862
Died: May 6
Abolitionist
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Ecologist
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The strongest wind cannot stagger a Spirit it is a Spirit's breath. A just man's purpose cannot be split on any Grampus or material rock, but itself will split rocks till it succeeds.
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Ice is an interesting subject for contemplation. They told me that they had some in the ice-houses at Fresh Pond five years old which was as good as ever. Why is it that a bucket of water soon becomes putrid, but frozen remains sweet forever? It is commonly said that this is the difference between the affections and the intellect.
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Who that has heard a strain of music feared then lest he should speak extravagantly any more forever?
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In their daily life, all are braver than they know.
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We can never have enough of Nature.
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If within the sophisticated man there is not an unsophisticated one, then he is but one of the devil's angels.
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We should come home from adventures, and perils, and discoveries every day with new experience and character.
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Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations.
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The schools begin with what they call the elements, and where do they end?
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The chickadee and nuthatch are more inspiring society than statesmen and philosophers, and we shall return to these last as to more vulgar companions.
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No mortal is alert enough to be present at the first dawn of spring.
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People die of fright and live of confidence.
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After the first blush of sin comes its indifference.
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It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?
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The body can feed the body only.
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Fresh curls spring from the baldest brow. There is nothing inorganic.
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To the sick, indeed, nature is sick, but to the well, a fountain of health.
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Talk about slavery! It is not the peculiar institution of the South. It exists wherever men are bought and sold, wherever a man allows himself to be made a mere thing or a tool, and surrenders his inalienable rights of reason and conscience. Indeed, this slavery is more complete than that which enslaves the body alone.
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You may rely on it that you have the best of me in my books, and that I am not worth seeing personally, the stuttering, blunderingclod-hopper that I am. Even poetry, you know, is in one sense an infinite brag and exaggeration. Not that I do not stand on all that I have written,--but what am I to the truth I feebly utter?
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It is not worth while to go round the world to count the cats in Zanzibar.
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