Henry David Thoreau

I put a piece of paper under my pillow, and when I could not sleep I wrote in the dark.

Every man will be a poet if he can; otherwise a philosopher or man of science. This proves the superiority of the poet.

Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.

The way by which you may get money almost without exception leads downward.

Do not trouble yourself much to get new things, whether clothes or friends… Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts.

What is a country without rabbits and partridges? They are among the most simple and indigenous animal products; ancient and venerable families known to antiquity as to modern times; of the very hue and substance of Nature, nearest allied to leaves and to the ground.

Better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.

There is nothing that will kill a man so soon as having nobody to find fault with but himself.

Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper.

My dear friend, clear your mind of cant [excessive thought]. You may talk as other people do: you may say to a man, Sir, I am your most humble servant. You are not his most humble servant. You may say, These are bad times; it is a melancholy thing to be reserved to such times. You don’t mind the times … You may talk in this manner; it is a mode of talking in Society; but don’t think foolishly.

Of all debts men are least willing to pay the taxes. What a satire is this on government! Everywhere they think they get their moneys worth, except for these.

You can often change your circumstances by changing your attitude.

Never do wrong when people are looking.

Certainly, the mistakes that we male and female mortals make when we have our own way might fairly raise some wonder that we’re so fond of it.

Live, let live, and help live

He that is already corrupt is naturally suspicious, and he that becomes suspicious will quickly become corrupt.

There is nothing that can be changed more completely than human nature when the job is taken in hand early enough.

The strongest principle of growth lies in human choice.

We should come home from adventures and perils and discoveries with new experiences and character.

Here undoubtedly lies the chief poetic energy: -in the force of imagination that pierces or exalts the solid fact, instead of floating among cloud-pictures.

It is seldom that the miserable of the world can help regarding their misery as a wrong inflicted by those who are less miserable.