Henry David Thoreau Quotes

I just try to keep it simple, not let too many outside things influence me.

Security depends not so much upon how much you have, as upon how much you can do without.

you can survive only if nothing is necessary to you

Learn on how little man may live, and how small a portion nature requires.

My father's nature turned out no waste product; he had none of that useless stuff in him that lies in heaps near factories. He took his own happiness with him.

If we have the khadi spirit in us, then we should surround ourselves with simplicity in every walk of life.

There is nothing I can't live without. I learned this attitude when I was a child.

True security lies not in the things one has, but in the things one can do without.

I often think I am a better person because I lived for many years of my life with a flashlight. I have developed skills I did not think were possible - bathing with a cup of water by candlelight, for instance, and writing a story with a headlamp on.

I enjoyed my life when I had nothing... and kinda like the idea of just being happy with me.

My experience of ships is that on them one makes an interesting discovery about the world. One finds one can do without it completely.

Nature never said to me: Do not be poor; still less did she say: Be rich; her cry to me was always: Be independent.

If I've got food and water, as long as I can exercise my mind and keep it nimble, then I'll be okay.

For me, a happy ending is not everything works out just right and there is a big bow, it's more coming to a place where a person has a clear vision of his or her own life in a way that enables them to kind of throw down their crutches and walk.

Real freedom is having nothing. I was freer when I didn't have a cent.

The man who doesn't want anything is invincible.

To have what we want is riches; but to be able to do without is power.

With renunciation life begins.

You must learn to exist with no religion, no country, no allies. You must learn to live alone in silence.

You don't need money to be free. You can just say if you don't need stuff, you're always free.

All I need is my brains, my eyes and my personality, for better or for worse.

It was a matter of not living lavishly but enjoying what you had, growing things with your hands, working hard, but not being tied to a nine-to-five job, and generally feeling that there's more to life than money.

Tramping is too easy with all this money. My days were more exciting when I was penniless and had to forage around for my next meal... I've decided that I'm going to live this life for some time to come. The freedom and simple beauty of it is just too good to pass up.

Freedom comes from strength and self-reliance.

If I don't get food in my mouth, I'm still happy. If my pants are round my ankles, as long as I don't get arrested for indecent exposure, I'm happy. I'm worried about keeping my hair, not how it's combed.