Tag Archives: Henry David Thoreau

“[My ambition is to] give something to our literature which will be our own.” — Walt Whitman

“I like to think that eventually he will shame us into becoming Americans again.” — Guy Davenport on Walt Whitman Whitman is the organizing principle behind my review of Martin Scorsese’s Rolling Thunder Revue. Bob Dylan quotes Whitman all the … Continue reading

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Thoreau’s journals: “Express it without expressing yourself.”

Wow. A wonderful post about Thoreau’s journals – and what he had to say about the writing process.

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The Books: The Diamond in the Window (Jane Langton)

Daily Book Excerpt: Children’s books: Next book on the shelf is The Diamond in the Window by Jane Langton. Maybe not as well known as some of the other children’s classics – this was one of my absolute FAVORITES when … Continue reading

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Simplicity

I love a life whose plot is simple. — Thoreau

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Governing Least

That government is best which governs least … I quietly declare war with the State after my fashion though I will still make use and get what advantage of her I can, as is usual in such cases. — Thoreau, … Continue reading

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New Eras

How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book. — Henry David Thoreau, Walden

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Noise

Half the world wants to be like Thoreau at Walden worrying about the noise of traffic on the way to Boston; the other half use up their lives being part of that noise. I like the second half. — Franz … Continue reading

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Quote of the Day

That government is best which governs least. –Thoreau, “Civil Disobedience”

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