That is mere sentimentality that lies abed by day and thinks itself white, far from the tan and callus of experience.
Henry David ThoreauI learned to regard man as an inhabitant, or a part and parcel of nature, rather than a member of society.
Henry David ThoreauWhy should not our whole life and its scenery be actually thus fair and distinct? All our lives want a suitable background. They should at least, like the life of the anchorite, be as impressive to behold as objects in a desert, a broken shaft or crumbling mound against a limitless horizon.
Henry David ThoreauSome, it seems to me, elect their rulers for their crookedness. But I think that a straight stick makes the best cane, and an upright man the best ruler.
Henry David ThoreauPriests and physicians should never look one another in the face. They have no common ground, nor is there any to mediate betweenthem. When the one comes, the other goes. They could not come together without laughter, or a significant silence, for the one's profession is a satire on the other's, and either's success would be the other's failure.
Henry David Thoreau