Sophs #2 journal--So Thoreau
Choose a quotation from Thoreau that you particularly understand and enjoy. Maybe one that you'd like to put as your Facebook status?Then tell me why you chose the quotation. How does it "speak" to you? Can you share a personal story that shows Thoreau's words in action? How can you relate his words to something in society today?
My Thoreau quotation would be "I did not read books that summer. I hoed beans." I could go on and on about how I planned, planted, cared for, and harvested my garden one summer. About how this English teacher didn't read much one summer because that would keep him indoors, but instead he loved getting his hands dirty and his healthy dose of Vitamin D spending time in his backyard with his gardening duties.
I could tell you this, but ... alas, I have other things to do. Wish I could "simplify, simplify, simplify" my life some.
posted by JTF @ 10:28 AM
15 comments
15 Comments:
The quote I chose was " Be true to your work, your word, and your friend." Being true to your friends to me is very important. Your family will always be there for you, but if your friends don't trust you, you may lose them. Friends are people that will support you and when you are having a bad day they are there to pick your spirit up. If you are not true to your word people will not trust you. In life you need to earn others trust so that they know that you can be responsibe and rely on you. Being true to your work will let people know that you can make the best with what you are given. If you are doing a job that you may not particularly like, you can make it look like you are enjoying it.
My Henry David Thoreau quote that I personally like would be “every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new.” This quote speaks on so many different levels. My favorite T.V show is That ‘70’s Show and whenever I watch it I can’t help but laugh at what they wore and what they thought was fun. It’s really interesting to look back on the past and see how the times have changed. Even walking down the halls in school seeing the class pictures from the ‘90’s and seeing how they dressed and how their hair was causes everyone to just laugh. When you take a minute and look at our generation today though, you will notice how everyone is so concerned with what the new fashions are, what’s cool and what’s not, what we should do and what we shouldn’t do. It’s weird to think that in ten years kids will be laughing at us saying how corny our fashion was and how it looks so ugly. This quote from Thoreau really speaks to me and really shows how life shouldn’t be so focused on what’s cool now but what’s more important like doing well in school and paying attention to the news and things like that. In ten to twenty years it’s not going to matter what we looked like or how we dressed. I just can’t believe how “religiously” us teenagers follow the trends just so that we can look cool. Teens sometimes make certain choices and decide to do things that aren’t so smart just because it seems cool now. When I read this quote it made me think and it definitely taught me to refocus certain aspects of my life. This quote can really speak to different people on many different levels, which is why I chose it as my favorite quote.
"Be true to your work, your word, and your friend" would be my favorite Thoreau quote. To me it explains the good and the bad in life. The bad that comes out of this quote would be things that tend to disappoint you everyday. Maybe someone in your life took your word for granted and you thought you could really trust them. Or maybe your friend lied to you about something so important to you that you had been waiting your entire life for. Or maybe your work let you down by firing you. You never know whats going to come out of life and these three situations could be some of the bad things. Maybe you even did that to your loved ones, instead of them doing it to you. Both ways are letting yourself down. The good that comes out of this quote are things that can brighten your day, everyday. If you are true to your work, maybe you could get promoted. That would change your life completely. Maybe if you were true to your word the people around you would start to appreciate you more because they know they can count on you. And maybe if you were true to your friends you could build a stronger relationship with them that could last a lifetime. Out of these ten words, I picture life. Life may disappoint you at times, but it may also bring you success. Either way no one is perfect in any way, shape, or form.
A quote by Thoreau that I like would probably be “things do not change; we do”. The reason why I like that quote is because it is true about many things in life. One way it relates to my life is that there is a hill in my backyard, and when I was little I thought it was the biggest hill and so steep. Then one day when I was older I looked out the window in my kitchen and asked my mom if the hill got smaller, she looked at me weird and said no. That is when I realized the hill had not gotten small, I just got bigger, and the way I look at it is different from when I was little. A way this quote fits into society today is the government. The structure of the government has stayed the same all these years, but the way people see it and what the platform is has changed due to the people and their wants or needs.
"Be true to your work, your word, and your friend." Henry David Thoreau had many wonderful and intellectual quotations, but that would have to be my favorite one. Honesty and loyalty are very important to me with everything I do, and I believe that you should be true to everything you do. If you are true to your work, then it will always be a job well done and you can be proud of yourself. If you are true to your word, you can't be caught in a lie or make enemies. If you are true to your friend then you will have a good friendship and in most cases they will be true back. People in society today need to live by this quote. There are way to many liars and fake people. People just need to learn to be true to themselves, everything they do, and to their friends. People should value these qualities in people, and in themselves. You should be able to pride yourself in being true to yourself and everyone around you.
Thoreau has so many inspiring quotes on how life and nature are intertwined. He also writes about true happiness he experienced while living in seclusion with only the surrounding environment as his neighbor. Understanding his terminology about life can guide us on a reliable path of simplicity. My favorite passage by Thoreau relates to happiness and the way all people should live their life. He wrote, “If one advances confidently in the direction of one's dreams, and endeavors to live the life which one has imagined, one will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” Thoreau is trying to say that if you keep following your dreams and never give up, you will eventually accomplish your goals. On the other hand, if you don’t try your hardest and your too scared to pursue your ambitions, then failure is soon to come. I like this quotation because it expresses motivation to follow what you believe in. The deep meaning behind it encourages me to look towards success instead of failure. Thoreau’s words can be applied to today’s society very easily. People are always trying to achieve their dreams but can’t seem to fulfill them. If they take this quote to heart then one day they will succeed. That’s why there are so many important figures in society today. They had a dream and didn’t give up until they achieved it. I wish everyone would live like Thoreau. Life would be a whole lot simpler and people would appreciate nature so much more.
Walden contains several inspiring quotes, but one of my favorites is “It looks poorest when you are richest. The faultfinder will find faults even in paradise. Love your life, poor as it is. You may perhaps have some pleasant, thrilling, glorious hours, even in a poor house.” I think Thoreau’s message is to recognize the value of the small things in life that are usually taken for granted. Maybe it would be easier if some people weren’t so materialistic. For example, there is a rich man. Regardless of how wealthy he is, he will never be truly satisfied. I’m assuming the modern quote could be “money can’t buy happiness.” The “faultfinder” could be described as someone who dwells on the negative aspects. If you are looking for faults, that is all you will find. Thoreau has definitely helped me appreciate life a little more. I already have everything I’ll ever need because true joy is found in simplicity. If all materialism were to be removed from the world, the remains would be what really matters: people, nature, and life itself. Love your life no matter what, don’t spend it wishing it was better, and accept it with a positive outlook. Why search for happiness when it’s right in front of you?
I think a lot can be learned from Henry Thoreau’s lecture ‘Walden’. It is a review of his standards in life, many of which I find to be very relevant and intriguing. One quote that particularly stood out to me was: “However mean your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names.” I like this quote because it pertains to life even in our century and time. It means that life is not always easy, and no matter how rough it gets we must always endure it with an open mind, and acceptability of our own actions. As humans we have an involuntary tendency to blame others, but you can’t always blame someone else. Taking responsibility is one of the most important and sometimes the hardest lesson we learn as we grow up. You shouldn’t let any one thing bring you down, because life always keeps going and there is nothing we can do about it. You might as well live it to the fullest and learn from your mistakes rather than wallow in them. Although some of Thoreau’s views do not relate to our time, some of them are very respectable and I believe they could help us learn to better live our lives.
Henry David Thoreau has many inspiring quotes about simplifying your life and valuing the things that are truly important. “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined,” is one quote that I particularly liked. This quote pertains to my life for many reasons. One reason is because ever since I was little I have always been very goal orientated and has always had many different things that I wanted to achieve. I get my license in less than two months and want to get a car so bad. In November I got a job at Two Cousins and have been working a lot to make money for my car. I have saved every penny that I have made in order to achieve this goal by the end of the summer. Another reason that I like this goal so much is because I think its very inspiring. This quote makes me remember to keep on track of my goals and to keep working hard. It’s sometimes really hard to remember what your working for especially when I want to buy everything. This summer I am hopefully going to work a lot more so that I can get closer to getting my car. The fact that I have been working in order to achieve this myself has made my parents so proud too. They love that I’m doing something for myself and actually working to earn something I truly want.
The quote I choose by Thoreau that I personally like the most would have to be, "Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something." This quote means so much and yet it is so short. I chose this quote because it tells you that you should never try and be average. You should always try your hardest. You should always try and outdo yourself and others. Think outside the box. Don't do something just to get it done. Do it with passion and excitement. There is no reason for someone to be good at something and not try to show everyone what he/she is capable of doing. You express the way you feel in what you do and if you try to be average then your work is going to look average as well. An experience that displays Thoreau's words in action consists of me in middle school and joining drumline. I played before that for 4 years and I joined it because I enjoyed playing the drums. That year I showed people different things we could do during our set such as stick tricks and stuff and everyone loved it. We ended up winning 1st place that year beating 3 high schools. Now I like to think it was because of me, but who knows.
Many lessons can be learned from Thoreau's "Walden." my favorite quote from "Walden" is, “However mean your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names.” I like this quote because it is telling you not to give up. I also like Thoreau's quote because it still is true to this very day. We can still learn from this quote to this day. The quote means that not every thing in life is easy or a piece of cake. Things in life are going to be rough and will hurt you and bring you down. But in the quote, Thoreau is telling you to get back up and meet the challenge full force. It is telling you not to give up. I would set this quote as my facebook status because it has a lot of truth in it and it is a very good idea. Although some quotes from authors from over one hundred years ago do not apply to our time today, Thorau's quote does and I think everyone can learn from it.
“The life in us is like the water in the river.” This is a quote someone might post as their face book status. This quote could be understood in many different ways. For me personally it means that life is always flowing and moving forward, just like a river would. Throughout life, there can be some rough spots and bad times, which could compare to rapids. Also during life, we fall, whether it be physically, or mentally, but this is like water falls in rivers. We always get up and try again and keep moving forward, just like the water in a river does. This is also a good quote to explain an everyday American’s life. Almost everyone is full of things to do everyday, like working, school, sports, family time, hanging with friends, religion, and so on. As long as we are still alive, “The life in us is like the water in the river,” stated by Thoreau.
One of my favorite Henry David Thoreau quotes would have to be, “Any fool can make a rule, and any fool will mind it.” When I first read this quote for the first time I didn’t quite get it. Then I read it over again and understood the meaning more deeply. Basically, this quote is saying that anyone can make up a rule, but there’s always going to be a person out there who doesn’t agree or go along with the rule. There are so many people, that there’s going to be someone who is really for the rule and then there’s going to be someone who’s completely against it. Not everyone is going to have the same opinion or agree on the same things in this world. There are different opinions, which lead to the reasons why there are rules that some people make and some hate. You’re always going to have that problem. All in all, this quote shows the reality in life. There are rules out there that someone has made up, but with differing opinions and so many different types of people, there will be a disagreement. That is the actually reality towards rules in general and throughout life. Thoreau made a clever quote when he spoke this line because it really makes you think about the rules that are out there. Not everyone is going to agree. A fool can make a rule, but there’s always some other fool who won’t agree.
As I was googling Thoreau quotes trying to find one that I could pretend to care and write about, I found one that really hit me and that I might care about. “As if you could kill time without injuring eternity. “ It’s saying that you can’t just do something to “kill time,” because you can do something real or meaningful with that time and everything you don’t do can hurt you in the future. Those people that say, “oh well, it’s something to do,” annoy me so much because if you don’t want or need to do something or it’s not something you care about then why do it. I always thought that I was the only one that thought this way because everyone around me is always doing something just to kill time and I don’t like that; that’s probably why when I found this quote I actually wanted to write about it, because someone else thought of time like I do. He believes a lot of the same things I do. Like that people can find God and meaning more in nature than in a church or in society and he and I think that you can live more meaningfully and happier living simply. I was surprised to find out how similarly we thought.
One quote form Thoreau that really speaks to me is "Be true to your work, your word, and your friend." I think that this means a lot because if you work hard in life, you will get where you want to be. You could become a very successful person such as a doctor or business man. If your true to word and always tell the truth then your a very well rounded kind of person that everyone will like and trust. For the last one, friends and friendship is very important. friends will always support you when your having a bad day and will always be there to cheer you up. You can rely on them and they can rely on you pretty much under any circumstances. Being true to those three things can help you have a very happy and exciting life. This quote also teaches taking responsibility for yourself which is also very important
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