Henry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, and abolitionist. He is best known for his book Walden.
Born in 1817 to a once-prosperous family on the verge of bankruptcy, Henry spent most of his life trying to find himself and answer questions about what he wanted out of life.
His writing often reflects this quest for meaning and understanding–a search that led him into teaching school in Concord at age 20; into making a living as a surveyor’s assistant in Maine at 23; into experimenting with different forms of living (including two years in the wilderness) before finally settling down near town.
In this blog post, we look at some famous quotes from Henry David Thoreau and implement them in different aspects of our lives.
1. “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” – Henry David Thoreau
How often do you face the day with apathy, only to regret that apathy later? Or do you ever feel like this quote by Henry David Thoreau applies to you at all? If it does, our society has led you down a path where living your dreams is not the norm.
Every year, millions of people believe that their dreams are unobtainable because they can’t see where to start or how to get there. Whether it’s moving out of your parent’s house or quitting work to become a full-time entrepreneur, the path is often unclear simply because you don’t know where to start.
Successful people know that if you want something bad enough, there will always be a way to make it happen. You have to start doing something towards your goal every day, and eventually, the mountain of work will become an afterthought.
2. “The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” – Henry David Thoreau
Life is hard, it’s frustrating, and it is also filled with beauty.
However, like anything in the world, if you don’t invest your time into something, then you’re missing out on one of life’s biggest opportunities.
Life isn’t about doing what’s easy; it’s not about having everything handed to you or doing exactly what society expects of you.
Life is about finding your passions and then putting in the work to turn those passions into a reality.
3. “It’s not what you look at that matters. It’s what you see.” – Henry David Thoreau
People spend their entire lives chasing things: wealth, relationships, connections, and more. Of course, these things are important, but only if you use them to your advantage.
If you want to be successful, you need to start seeing opportunities rather than problems. Opportunities are everywhere; it’s up to us to create them for ourselves and persevere through the challenges that they bring.
When people talk about “good luck”, this is what they’re talking about–the opportunity that we create for ourselves and the triumphs that follow because of it.
4. “It’s not what you get, it’s what you give.” – Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau often reflected on how people spend their time and money–and his conclusion was always the same: people don’t think about how they can give back to others. The truth is, there are many people out there who have nothing–and the only way that they’re going to survive is if you give them something.
If you have time and money, don’t just spend it on yourself because there’s always someone who needs what you have a little bit more than you do.
5. “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be.” – Henry David Thoreau
There are many people out there who talk big but never make anything happen. But this quote by Henry David Thoreau reminds us that even if you don’t live up to your expectations, it still wasn’t wasted time or effort.
Success doesn’t come from following the beaten path–it comes from charting your course and doing things that no one else will do. We all have dreams, but sometimes we need to follow a different path to turn those dreams into reality.