Are you looking for timeless wisdom that transcends the ages? Henry David Thoreau, a 19th-century American philosopher, poet, and naturalist, left behind a treasure trove of insightful quotes that continue to resonate today.
His words, steeped in a deep connection to nature and a keen awareness of the human spirit, offer profound reflections on life, simplicity, and the pursuit of meaning.
In this exploration of Thoreau’s quotes, we delve into the wisdom he shared, uncovering nuggets of inspiration that can guide us in navigating the complexities of the modern world.
Henry David Thoreau Quotes
- “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”
- “Simplify, simplify.”
- “Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.”
- “Our life is frittered away by detail.”
- “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.”
- “Live in each season as it passes.”
- “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.”
- “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
- “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
- “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”
- “As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.”
- “Dreams are the touchstones of our character.”
- “The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.”
- “It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?”
- “All good things are wild and free.”
- “Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life so.”
- “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”
- “Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in.”
- “Live your beliefs and you can turn the world around.”
- “The language of friendship is not words but meanings.”
- “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”
- “It’s not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”
- “Be not simply good; be good for something.”
- “Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.”
- “Things do not change; we change.”
- “Nature is full of genius, full of the divinity; so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand.”
- “If you would convince a man that he does wrong, do right. Men will believe what they see.”
- “The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.”
- “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”
- “In wilderness is the preservation of the world.”
Best Henry David Thoreau Quotes
- “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours.”
- “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
- “Live the life you’ve imagined.”
- “It takes two to speak the truth: one to speak and another to hear.”
- “What we need is the tonic of wildness.”
- “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
- “Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life so.”
- “Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and I may say innocence, with Nature herself.”
- “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
- “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”
- “The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.”
- “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
- “In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita, in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial.”
- “All good things are wild and free.”
- “I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.”
- “If the day and the night are such that you greet them with joy, and life emits a fragrance like flowers and sweet-scented herbs, is more elastic, more starry, more immortal—that is your success.”
- “I love to be alone. I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.”
- “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
- “It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?”
- “I have learned that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”
- “Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.”
- “I have no doubt that it is a part of the destiny of the human race, in its gradual improvement, to leave off eating animals, as surely as the savage tribes have left off eating each other when they came in contact with the more civilized.”
- “Men have become the tools of their tools.”
- “I have, as it were, my own sun and moon and stars, and a little world all to myself.”
- “It is not enough to be industrious; so are the ants. What are you industrious about?”
- “The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer.”
- “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”
- “Things do not change; we change.”
- “Nature is full of genius, full of the divinity; so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand.”
- “It’s not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”
Henry David Captions For Instagram
- “Be not simply good; be good for something.”
- “Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.”
- “Things do not change; we change.”
- “Nature is full of genius, full of the divinity; so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand.”
- “It’s not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”
- “Be not simply good; be good for something.”
- “Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.”
- “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
- “It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?”
- “I have learned that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”
- “Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something.”
- “Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.”
- “Live the life you’ve imagined.”
- “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”
- “Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf.”
- “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.”
- “The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.”
- “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately.”
- “Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life.”
- “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
- “Simplify your life. Don’t waste the years struggling for things that are unimportant.”
- “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
- “I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.”
- “As if you could kill time without injuring eternity.”
- “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”
- “It is never too late to give up your prejudices.”
- “It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?”
- “The most I can do for my friend is simply to be his friend.”
- “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.”
- “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
Funny Henry David Thoreau Quotes
- “Make the most of your regrets; never smother your sorrow, but tend and cherish it.”
- “It’s not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?”
- “What we think, we become.”
- “Things do not change; we change.”
- “Dreams are the touchstones of our character.”
- “The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.”
- “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be.”
- “I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life.”
- “All good things are wild and free.”
- “Write while the heat is in you.”
- “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
- “There is no remedy for love but to love more.”
- “Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.”
- “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”
- “What is once well done is done forever.”
- “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”
- “If you stand right, you can be taller than your surroundings.”
- “The world is but a canvas to our imagination.”
- “The only wealth is life.”
- “It is never too late to give up your prejudices.”
- “Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.”
- “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”
- “The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.”
- “Things do not change; we change.”
- “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
- “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
- “Make the most of your regrets; never smother your sorrow, but tend and cherish it.”
- “It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?”
- “The most I can do for my friend is simply to be his friend.”
- “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.”
Henry David Thoreau Quotes About Life
- “Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.”
- “Live the life you’ve imagined.”
- “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”
- “Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf.”
- “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.”
- “The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.”
- “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately.”
- “Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life.”
- “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
- “Simplify your life. Don’t waste the years struggling for things that are unimportant.”
- “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
- “I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.”
- “As if you could kill time without injuring eternity.”
- “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”
- “It is never too late to give up your prejudices.”
- “It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?”
- “The most I can do for my friend is simply to be his friend.”
- “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.”
- “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
- “Make the most of your regrets; never smother your sorrow, but tend and cherish it.”
- “It’s not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?”
- “What we think, we become.”
- “Things do not change; we change.”
- “Dreams are the touchstones of our character.”
- “The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.”
Read More: Empowering Growth Captions For instagram
Adonis Paul is a social media enthusiast and creative writer who enjoys writing about social media captions. Now he is helping the Captionsment team to produce good content.