Henry David Thoreau

Farmers are respectable and interesting to me in proportion as they are poor.

As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.

A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.

If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.

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.

The most I can do for my friend is simply to be his friend.

The only wealth is life.

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.

Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.

Courtesy Life be not so short but that there is always time for courtesy.

It is only through labour and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage; that we move on to better things.

Croesus said to Cambyses; That peace was better than war; because in peace the sons did bury their fathers, but in wars the fathers did bury their sons.

Failure at some point in your life is inevitable, but giving up is unforgivable.

Use, do not abuse; neither abstinence nor excess ever renders man happy.

In Boston they ask, How much does he know? In New York, How much is he worth? In Philadelphia, Who were his parents?

A great man is always willing to be little.

When you do something, you should burn yourself up completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.

There is always a best way of doing everything.

The beginning of an acquaintance whether with persons or things is to get a definite outline of our ignorance.

The responsibility of tolerance lies in those who have the wider vision.

Plan backwards as well as forward. Set objectives and trace back to see how to achieve them. You may find that no path can get you there. Plan forward to see where your steps will take you, which may not be clear or intuitive.