Quotes By Henry David Thoreau

Instead of noblemen, let us have noble villages of men.

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

The bluebird carries the sky on his back.

Live the life you've dreamed.

Is the babe young? When I behold it, it seems more venerable than the oldest man.

Be true to your work, your word, and your friend.

Justice is sweet and musical; but injustice is harsh and discordant.

Generally speaking, a howling wilderness does not howl: it is the imagination of the traveler that does the howling.

Books can only reveal us to ourselves, and as often as they do us this service we lay them aside.

Truth is always in harmony with herself, and is not concerned chiefly to reveal the justice that may consist with wrong-doing.

It is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things.

Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something.

The language of friendship is not words but meanings.

It takes two to speak the truth: one to speak, and another to hear.

Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.

An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.

It is best to avoid the beginnings of evil.

It appears to be a law that you cannot have a deep sympathy with both man and nature.

It is not part of a true culture to tame tigers, any more than it is to make sheep ferocious.

To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.

As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may seem, am satisfied that it does not agree with my constitution.

The finest workers in stone are not copper or steel tools, but the gentle touches of air and water working at their leisure with a liberal allowance of time.

Things do not change; we change.

Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it.

Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations.

Distrust any enterprise that requires new clothes.

I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.

How many things there are concerning which we might well deliberate whether we had better know them.

Do what nobody else can do for you. Omit to do anything else.

Do not worry if you have built your castles in the air. They are where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.