July 21, 2005
Thursday's Quote
"If a man walks in the woods for love of them half of each day, he is in danger of being regarded as a loafer. But if he spends his days as a speculator, shearing off those woods and making the earth bald before her time, he is deemed an industrious and enterprising citizen."Posted by Jennifer at July 21, 2005 07:00 AM | TrackBack-Henry David Thoreau
Tweet
HDT is one of my favorite writers. Well, it's damn near neck-and-neck with RWE. Those guys are like peas in a pod. Of the few books I own, I'd say half of them are by these two. It's great stuff.
Posted by: shank at July 21, 2005 08:18 AMI assume that the material for the house which sheltered Thoreau from the elements was provided by the first of these two men.
Posted by: triticale at July 25, 2005 09:19 PMIt's interesting to me, the comment about HDT and RWE, being two peas in a pod. I'm not well-versed in either, but what little I have read - Emerson's "Self-reliance" and other various essays-- and Thoreau's "Walden", I hate Emerson and I love Thoreau. Strong words, I know.
Plus, I feel Thoreau has done more to wake up our culture and a greater service to our society by being true to himself and writing about it, even though viewed a "loafer", (especially by his prodding old friend, Emerson) than he would have "cutting down trees".
It doesn't take shaving a forest bald to build the shack in which he lived- which is all most of us need, if we take the time to look twice.
Jew