Henry David Thoreau

What is peculiar in the life of a man consists not in his obedience, but his opposition, to his instincts. In one direction or another he strives to live a supernatural life.

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

The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till the other is ready, and it may be along time before they get off.

The ocean is a wilderness reaching round the globe, wilder than a Bengal jungle, and fuller of monsters, washing the very wharves of our cities and the gardens of our sea-side residences.

The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for this comes after work. But it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things.

Through want of enterprise and faith men are where they are, buying and selling and spending their lives like servants.

Independence? That’s middle class blasphemy. We are all dependent on one another, every soul of us on earth.

Remember, no human condition is ever permanent. Then you will not be overjoyed in good fortune nor too scornful in misfortune.

Valor consists in the power of self recovery.

There must be what Mr. Gladstone many years ago called a blessed act of oblivion. We must all turn our backs upon the horrors of the past. We must look to the future. We cannot afford to drag forward across the years that are to come the hatreds and revenges which have sprung from the injuries of the past.

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

When you discover your mission, you will feel its demand. It will fill you with enthusiasm and a burning desire to get to work on it.

If a man’s wit be wandering, let him study the mathematics.

Few people know how to take a walk. The qualifications are endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, an eye for nature, good humor, vast curiosity, good speech, good silence and nothing too much.

Life is short, but there is always time for courtesy.

The desire of excessive power caused the angels to fall; the desire of knowledge caused men to fall.

The only prudence in life is concentration.

Without passion, you don’t have energy. Without energy, you have nothing.

Avoid flatterers, for they are thieves in disguise.

Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider.

PATIENCE YOU MUST HAVE my young padawan.