Henry David Thoreau was one of the best poets of all time, essay writer, and philosopher. Henry David Thoreau was also known for his book Walden and his essay, Civil Disobedience. May these Henry David Thoreau most famous quotes give you insights that will serve as inspiration for whatever your plans and goals in life.
1. “Things do not change; we change.” – Henry David Thoreau
2. “Say what you have to say, not what you ought. Any truth is better than make-believe.” – Henry David Thoreau
3. “I should not talk so much about myself if there were anybody else whom I knew as well.” – Henry David Thoreau
4. “I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” – Henry David Thoreau
5. “The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.” – Henry David Thoreau
6. “If you would convince a man that he does wrong, do right. But do not care to convince him. Men will believe what they see. Let them see.” – Henry David Thoreau
7. “We are constantly invited to be what we are.” – Henry David Thoreau
8. “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.” – Henry David Thoreau
9. “A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.” – Henry David Thoreau
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10. “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” – Henry David Thoreau
11. “When we are unhurried and wise, we perceive that only great and worthy things have any permanent and absolute existence, that petty fears and petty pleasures are but the shadow of the reality.” – Henry David Thoreau
12. “The question is not what you look at, but what you see.” – Henry David Thoreau
13. “Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new.” – Henry David Thoreau
14. “It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?” – Henry David Thoreau
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15. “If a plant cannot live according to its nature, it dies; and so a man.” – Henry David Thoreau
16. “Dreams are the touchstones of our characters.” – Henry David Thoreau
17. “You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.” – Henry David Thoreau
18. “I can alter my life by altering my attitude. He who would have nothing to do with thorns must never attempt to gather flowers.” – Henry David Thoreau
19. “It is better to have your head in the clouds and know where you are than to breathe the clearer atmosphere below them and think you are in paradise.” – Henry David Thoreau
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20. “The language of friendship is not words, but meanings.” – Henry David Thoreau
21. “All men want, not something to do with, but something to do, or rather something to be.” – Henry David Thoreau
22. “I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.” – Henry David Thoreau
23. “Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant?” – Henry David Thoreau
24. “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 he hears, however measured or far away.” – Henry David Thoreau
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25. “That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest.” – Henry David Thoreau
26. “Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and I may say innocence, with Nature herself.” – Henry David Thoreau
27. “Every path but your own is the path of fate. Keep on your own track, then.” – Henry David Thoreau
28. “All good things are wild and free.” – Henry David Thoreau
29. “An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” – Henry David Thoreau
30. “The path of least resistance leads to crooked rivers and crooked men.” – Henry David Thoreau
More Inspirational Henry David Thoreau Quotes about Life
31. “In human intercourse the tragedy begins, not when there is misunderstanding about words, but when silence is not understood.” – Henry David Thoreau
32. “Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.” – Henry David Thoreau
33. “This world is but canvas to our imaginations.” – Henry David Thoreau
34. “Amid a world of noisy, shallow actors it is noble to stand aside and say, I will simply be.” – Henry David Thoreau
35. “Do not hire a man who does your work for money, but him who does it for love of it.” – Henry David Thoreau
36. “I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” – Henry David Thoreau
37. “Only that day dawns to which we are awake. There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star.” – Henry David Thoreau
38. “We are born as innocents. We are polluted by advice.” – Henry David Thoreau
39. “A single gentle rain makes the grass many shades greener. So our prospects brighten on the influx of better thoughts. We should be blessed if we lived in the present always, and took advantage of every accident that befell us.” – Henry David Thoreau
40. “The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer.” – Henry David Thoreau
41. “It is never too late to give up your prejudices.” – Henry David Thoreau
42. “Men are born to succeed, not to fail.” – Henry David Thoreau
43. “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” – Henry David Thoreau
44. “I was not born to be forced. I will breathe after my own fashion. Let us see who is the strongest.” – Henry David Thoreau
45. “It is not worth the while to let our imperfections disturb us always.” – Henry David Thoreau
46. “To be awake is to be alive. I have never yet met a man who was quite awake.” – Henry David Thoreau
47. “There is no remedy for love but to love more.” – Henry David Thoreau
48. “Be resolutely and faithfully what you are; be humbly what you aspire to be.” – Henry David Thoreau
49. “Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.” – Henry David Thoreau
50. “It takes two to speak the truth - one to speak and another to hear.” – Henry David Thoreau
51. “In the long run men only hit what they aim at. Therefore, though they should fail immediately, they had better aim at something high.” – Henry David Thoreau
52. “All change is a miracle to contemplate, but it is a miracle which is taking place every instant.” – Henry David Thoreau
53. “There are many fine things we cannot say if we have to shout.” – Henry David Thoreau
54. “There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.” – Henry David Thoreau
55. “There is no odor so bad as that which arises from goodness tainted.” – Henry David Thoreau
56. “Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.” – Henry David Thoreau
57. “It is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things.” – Henry David Thoreau
58. “The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend.” – Henry David Thoreau
59. “What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.” – Henry David Thoreau
60. “The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” – Henry David Thoreau
Share these Henry David Thoreau Quotes about Dreams and Success with your friends, family, and loved ones to inspire them as well.
2. “Say what you have to say, not what you ought. Any truth is better than make-believe.” – Henry David Thoreau
3. “I should not talk so much about myself if there were anybody else whom I knew as well.” – Henry David Thoreau
4. “I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” – Henry David Thoreau
5. “The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.” – Henry David Thoreau
6. “If you would convince a man that he does wrong, do right. But do not care to convince him. Men will believe what they see. Let them see.” – Henry David Thoreau
7. “We are constantly invited to be what we are.” – Henry David Thoreau
8. “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.” – Henry David Thoreau
9. “A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.” – Henry David Thoreau
11. “When we are unhurried and wise, we perceive that only great and worthy things have any permanent and absolute existence, that petty fears and petty pleasures are but the shadow of the reality.” – Henry David Thoreau
12. “The question is not what you look at, but what you see.” – Henry David Thoreau
13. “Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new.” – Henry David Thoreau
14. “It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?” – Henry David Thoreau
16. “Dreams are the touchstones of our characters.” – Henry David Thoreau
17. “You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.” – Henry David Thoreau
18. “I can alter my life by altering my attitude. He who would have nothing to do with thorns must never attempt to gather flowers.” – Henry David Thoreau
19. “It is better to have your head in the clouds and know where you are than to breathe the clearer atmosphere below them and think you are in paradise.” – Henry David Thoreau
21. “All men want, not something to do with, but something to do, or rather something to be.” – Henry David Thoreau
22. “I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.” – Henry David Thoreau
23. “Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant?” – Henry David Thoreau
24. “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 he hears, however measured or far away.” – Henry David Thoreau
26. “Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and I may say innocence, with Nature herself.” – Henry David Thoreau
27. “Every path but your own is the path of fate. Keep on your own track, then.” – Henry David Thoreau
28. “All good things are wild and free.” – Henry David Thoreau
29. “An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” – Henry David Thoreau
30. “The path of least resistance leads to crooked rivers and crooked men.” – Henry David Thoreau
More Inspirational Henry David Thoreau Quotes about Life
31. “In human intercourse the tragedy begins, not when there is misunderstanding about words, but when silence is not understood.” – Henry David Thoreau
32. “Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.” – Henry David Thoreau
33. “This world is but canvas to our imaginations.” – Henry David Thoreau
34. “Amid a world of noisy, shallow actors it is noble to stand aside and say, I will simply be.” – Henry David Thoreau
35. “Do not hire a man who does your work for money, but him who does it for love of it.” – Henry David Thoreau
36. “I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” – Henry David Thoreau
37. “Only that day dawns to which we are awake. There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star.” – Henry David Thoreau
38. “We are born as innocents. We are polluted by advice.” – Henry David Thoreau
39. “A single gentle rain makes the grass many shades greener. So our prospects brighten on the influx of better thoughts. We should be blessed if we lived in the present always, and took advantage of every accident that befell us.” – Henry David Thoreau
40. “The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer.” – Henry David Thoreau
41. “It is never too late to give up your prejudices.” – Henry David Thoreau
42. “Men are born to succeed, not to fail.” – Henry David Thoreau
43. “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” – Henry David Thoreau
44. “I was not born to be forced. I will breathe after my own fashion. Let us see who is the strongest.” – Henry David Thoreau
45. “It is not worth the while to let our imperfections disturb us always.” – Henry David Thoreau
46. “To be awake is to be alive. I have never yet met a man who was quite awake.” – Henry David Thoreau
47. “There is no remedy for love but to love more.” – Henry David Thoreau
48. “Be resolutely and faithfully what you are; be humbly what you aspire to be.” – Henry David Thoreau
49. “Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.” – Henry David Thoreau
50. “It takes two to speak the truth - one to speak and another to hear.” – Henry David Thoreau
51. “In the long run men only hit what they aim at. Therefore, though they should fail immediately, they had better aim at something high.” – Henry David Thoreau
52. “All change is a miracle to contemplate, but it is a miracle which is taking place every instant.” – Henry David Thoreau
53. “There are many fine things we cannot say if we have to shout.” – Henry David Thoreau
54. “There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.” – Henry David Thoreau
55. “There is no odor so bad as that which arises from goodness tainted.” – Henry David Thoreau
56. “Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.” – Henry David Thoreau
57. “It is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things.” – Henry David Thoreau
58. “The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend.” – Henry David Thoreau
59. “What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.” – Henry David Thoreau
60. “The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” – Henry David Thoreau
Share these Henry David Thoreau Quotes about Dreams and Success with your friends, family, and loved ones to inspire them as well.