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Henry David Thoreau — Portrait after a picture by B. D. Maxham (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons.

The quotations of

Henry David Thoreau

American essayist, poet, and philosopher

1817–1862

81 quotes, most often on Life & Death, Government and Money. Part of the Writers collection.

Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience, then?
Civil Disobedience (1849)In context
- Laws
- Morality
It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right. The only obligation which I have a right to assume, is to do at any time what I think right.
Civil Disobedience (1849)In context
- Laws
- Morality
Unjust laws exist: shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once?
Civil Disobedience (1849)In context
- Justice
- Laws
Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison.
Civil Disobedience (1849)In context
- Government
- Justice
There will never be a really free and enlightened State, until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly.
Civil Disobedience (1849)In context
- Freedom
- Government
I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion.
Walden (1854), Economy (2 of 3)In context
- Happiness
- Money

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