Henry David Thoreau

What sort of philosophers are we, who know absolutely nothing about the origin and destiny of cats?

In the long run you hit only what you aim at. Therefore, though you should fail immediately, you had better aim at something high.

When I hear the hypercritical quarreling about grammar and style, the position of the particles, etc., etc., stretching or contracting every speaker to certain rules of theirs. I see that they forget that the first requisite and rule is that expression shall be vital and natural, as much as the voice of a brute or an interjection: first of all, mother tongue; and last of all, artificial or father tongue. Essentially your truest poetic sentence is as free and lawless as a lamb’s bleat.

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

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

Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life so. Aim above morality. Be not simply good;be good for something.All fables, indeed, have their morals; but the innocent enjoy the story. Let nothing come between you and the light. Respect men and brothers only. When you travel to the Celestial City, carry no letter of introduction. When you knock, ask to see God,

Do not undervalue the headache. While it is at its sharpest it seems a bad investment; but when relief begins, the unexpired remainder is worth $4 a minute.

Let freedom reign. The sun never set on so glorious a human achievement.

Choose silence of all virtues, for by it you hear other men’s imperfections, and conceal your own.

A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits.

Logic is a poor guide compared with custom.

A wise man will make haste to forgive, because he knows the true value of time, and will not suffer it to pass away in unnecessary pain.

Life is like playing a violin solo in public and learning the instrument as one goes on.

I really do not see much use in exalting the humble and meek; they do not remain humble and meek long when they are exalted.

Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance.

Blame is safer than praise.

The golden rule is that there are no golden rules.

We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.

I was the same old me. Just like the Moon yesterday. But because of all the other factors that came to play, the darkness, the brightness, the blood red color. They all were a reflection, a projection due to the perfect set of circumstances. The Moon was still the Moon. But it was still labeled the Super Blue Blood Moon, Just so we can have some understanding, but, again I’ll state, the Moon was still just the Moon, just like I was still just me. Whatever you project on me, and I reflect back, doesn’t then make me become a new person, it’s just a reflection of your projection. I am still just me.

If you employed study, thinking, and planning time daily, you could develop and use the power that can change the course of your destiny.

The liar’s punishment is, not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else.