Henry David Thoreau Quotations: HUMANKIND
It takes a man of genius to travel in his own country, in his native village; to make any progress between his door and his gate.—Journal, 6 August 1851
It would be glorious to see mankind at leisure for once. It is nothing but work, work, work.—"Life Without Principle"
Making no complaint, offering no encouragement, one human being is made aware of the neighboring and contemporaneous existence of another.—Journal, 1837-47
Man is not at once born into society—hardly into the world. The world that he is hides for a time the world that he inhabits.—Journal, 14 March 1838
Manners are conscious. Character is unconscious.—Journal, 16 February 1851
Many brave men have there been, thank Fortune, but I shall never grow brave by comparison.—Journal, 29 November 1839
Many seem to be so constituted that they can respect only somebody who is dead or something which is distant.—Journal, 28 November 1860
Men frequently say to me, "I should think you would feel lonesome down there, and want to be nearer to folks, rainy and snowy days and nights especially." I am tempted to reply to such,—This whole earth which we inhabit is but a point in space. How far apart, think you, dwell the two most distant inhabitants of yonder star, the breadth of whose disk cannot be appreciated by our instruments? Why should I feel lonely? is not our planet in the Milky Way? This which you put seems to me not to be the most important question. What sort of space is that which separates a man from his fellows and makes him solitary? I have found that no exertion of legs can bring two minds much nearer to one another.—Walden
Men have become the tools of their tools. The man who independently plucked the fruits when he was hungry is become a farmer.—Journal, 14 July 1845
Men invite the devil in at every angle and then prate about the garden of Eden and the fall of man.—Journal, 5 November 1855
