Henry David Thoreau

There is no odor so bad as that which arises from goodness tainted.

What is once well done is done forever.

It is usually the imagination that is wounded first, rather than the heart; it being much more sensitive.

Only the traveling is good which reveals to me the value of home and enables me to enjoy it better.

A name pronounced is the recognition of the individual to whom it belongs. He who can pronounce my name aright, he can call me, and is entitled to my love and service.

If misery loves company, misery has company enough.

When you adopt the standards and the values of someone else… you surrender your own integrity. You become, to the extent of your surrender, less of a human being.

The less a man thinks or knows about his virtues, the better we like him.

The serpent if it wants to become the dragon must eat itself.

A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere. Before him, I may think aloud.

Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’

A man’s library is a sort of harem.

The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked what I thought, and attended to my answer.

If you have nothing to say, say nothing.

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.

Stay with me,’ he said, ‘until the sun goes out, the seas are parched, and the wind draws its last breath.

Wisdom is like electricity. There is no permanently wise man, but men capable of wisdom, who, being put into certain company, or other favorable conditions, become wise for a short time, as glasses rubbed acquire electric power for a while.

All personal achievement starts in the mind of the individual. Your personal achievement starts in your mind. The first step is to know exactly what your problem, goal or desire is.

That virtue we appreciate is as much ours as another s. We see so much only as we possess.

That’s what I can’t stand. I know I’ll bounce back, and that’s what I can’t stand.

A cynic can chill and dishearten with a single word.