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Henry David Thoreau Quotes about Character

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Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.

Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.

Henry David Thoreau
Wisdom, Travel, Character

The universe seems bankrupt as soon as we begin to discuss the characters of individuals.

Henry David Thoreau
Integrity, Character, Ethics
Henry David Thoreau (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Henry David Thoreau (Illustrated)”, p.199, Delphi Classics

All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or backgammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and wrong, with moral questions; and betting naturally accompanies it. The character of the voters is not staked. I cast my vote, perchance, as I think right; but I am not vitally concerned that right should prevail. I am willing to leave it to the majority.

Henry David Thoreau
Character, Thinking, Voting
Henry David Thoreau (2013). “The Selected Essays of Henry David Thoreau”, p.101, Simon and Schuster

In dreams we see ourselves naked and acting out our real characters, even more clearly than we see others awake.

Henry David Thoreau
Dream, Real, Character
Henry David Thoreau (2004). “Walden and Other Writings”, p.79, Bantam Classics

Any nobleness begins at once to refine a man's features, any meanness or sensuality to imbrute them.

Henry David Thoreau
Character, Men, Flesh And Blood
Henry David Thoreau (2016). “Walden”, p.159, Xist Publishing

Have you not budged an inch, then? Such is the daily news. Its facts appear to float in the atmosphere.... We should wash ourselves clean of such news. Of what consequence, though our planet explode, if there is no character involved in the explosion? In health we have not the least curiosity about such events. We do not live for idle amusement. I would not run round a corner to see the world blow up.

Henry David Thoreau
Running, Character, Blow

Pity the man who has a character to support - it is worse than a large family - he is silent poor indeed.

Henry David Thoreau
Family, Character, Men
Henry David Thoreau (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Henry David Thoreau (Illustrated)”, p.2077, Delphi Classics

We are sometimes made aware of a kindness long passed, and realize that there have been times when our friends' thoughts of us were of so pure and lofty a character that they passed over us like the winds of heaven unnoticed; when they treated us not as what we were, but as what we aspired to be.

Henry David Thoreau
Kindness, Character, Real Friends
Henry David Thoreau (2014). “The Illustrated "A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers"”, p.259, Princeton University Press

Much of our poetry has the very best manners, but no character.

Henry David Thoreau
Character, Poetry, Style
Henry David Thoreau (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Henry David Thoreau (Illustrated)”, p.279, Delphi Classics

What stuff is the man made of who is not coexistent in our thought with the purest and sublimest truth?

Henry David Thoreau
Truth, Character, Men

Every day our garments become more assimilated to ourselves, receiving the impress of the wearer's character, until we hesitate tolay them aside without such delay and medical appliances and some such solemnity even as our bodies.

Henry David Thoreau
Character, Receiving, Delay
Henry David Thoreau (2013). “The Essential Thoreau”, p.16, Simon and Schuster

We know but a few men, a great many coats and breeches.

Henry David Thoreau
Character, Men, Tragedy
Henry David Thoreau (2002). “Walden: Or, Life in the Woods”, p.26, Courier Corporation

The strongest wind cannot stagger a Spirit; it is a Spirit's breath. A just man's purpose cannot be split on any Grampus or material rock, but itself will split rocks till it succeeds.

Henry David Thoreau
Determination, Character, Men
Henry David Thoreau (2008). “Cape Cod: Illustrated Edition of the American Classic”, p.11, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Your richest veins don't lie nearest the surface.

Henry David Thoreau
Lying, Character, Veins
Henry David Thoreau (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Henry David Thoreau (Illustrated)”, p.1612, Delphi Classics

The outward is only the outside of that which is within. Men are not concealed under habits, but are revealed by them; they are their true clothes.

Henry David Thoreau
Character, Men, Clothes
Henry David Thoreau (2012). “The Portable Thoreau”, p.356, Penguin

We are armed with language adequate to describe each leaf of the filed, but not to describe human character.

Henry David Thoreau
Character, Adequate, Language

The humblest observer who goes to the mines sees and says that gold-digging is of the character of a lottery; the gold thus obtained is not the same thing with the wages of honest toil. But, practically, he forgets what he has seen, for he has seen only the fact, not the principle, and goes into trade there, that is, buys a ticket in what commonly proves another lottery, where the fact is not so obvious.

Henry David Thoreau
Character, Gambling, Gold
Henry David Thoreau (2013). “The Essential Thoreau”, p.413, Simon and Schuster

How can we expect a harvest of thought who have not had a seedtime of character?

Henry David Thoreau
Character, Harvest
Henry David Thoreau, Odell Shepard (1961). “The Heart of Thoreau's Journals”, p.134, Courier Corporation

We falsely attribute to men a determined character - putting together all their yesterdays - and averaging them - we presume we know them. Pity the man who has character to support - it is worse than a large family - he is the silent poor indeed.

Henry David Thoreau
Family, Character, Men
Henry David Thoreau (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Henry David Thoreau (Illustrated)”, p.2077, Delphi Classics

I often accuse my finest acquaintances of an immense frivolity; for, while there are manners and compliments we do not meet, we donot teach one another the lessons of honesty and sincerity that the brutes do, or of steadiness and solidity that the rocks do. The fault is commonly mutual; however, for we do not habitually demand any more of each other.

Henry David Thoreau
Friendship, Honesty, Character

Show me a man who feels bitterly toward John Brown, and let me hear what noble verse he can repeat. He'll be as dumb as if his lips were stone.

Henry David Thoreau
Character, Men, Dumb
Henry David Thoreau (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Henry David Thoreau (Illustrated)”, p.1221, Delphi Classics

The heroic books, even if printed in the character of our mother tongue, will always be in a language dead to degenerate times; and we must laboriously seek the meaning of each word and line, conjecturing a larger sense than common use permits out of what wisdom and valor and generosity we have. The modern cheap and fertile press, with all its translations, has done little to bring us nearer to the heroic writers of antiquity. They seem as solitary, and the letter in which they are printed as rare and curious, as ever.

Henry David Thoreau
Mother, Book, Character
Henry David Thoreau (1939). “Walden: or, Life in the woods”

It behooves every man to see that his influence is on the side of justice, and let the courts make their own characters.

Henry David Thoreau
Character, Men, Law
Henry David Thoreau (2013). “The Essential Thoreau”, p.311, Simon and Schuster

Those who, while they disapprove of the character and measures of a government, yield to it their allegiance and support are undoubtedly its most conscientious supporters, and so frequently the most serious obstacles to reform.

Henry David Thoreau
Character, Yield, Government
Henry David Thoreau (1942). “Civil Disobedience”, p.8, Hayes Barton Press

As all curves have reference to their centres or foci, so all beauty of character has reference to the soul, and is a graceful gesture of recognition or waving of the body toward it.

Henry David Thoreau
Character, Curves, Focus
Henry David Thoreau, Robert Lawrence France, Thoreau Society (2001). “Thoreau on Water: Reflecting Heaven”, p.55, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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