Original title page of Walden featuring a picture drawn by Thoreau’s sister Sophia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. . . . In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness.”
Hi, I’m Jill, a writer and teacher living in the UK, usually behind a desk but sometimes on a sofa with a book or a film. I began writing at around age three, legibly by five, although I didn’t write any stories until I was older. Aged eleven, I began writing children’s fiction, mostly middle-grade fantasy and I’m still doing it to this day. I have had stories published online and in My Weekly magazine. The best bit about writing is when ideas pop into your head (from the writing fairy presumably?) and everything starts clipping together like a jigsaw puzzle. The worst bit? When you start to get the feeling there's a piece missing from the box...
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9 thoughts on “Walden – Henry David Thoreau”
Excellent, I have this on my e-reader to enjoy soon 🙂
I agree! I was expecting something stuffy and Victorian but I think most authors are surprising like that. It’s only listening to ‘experts’ gushing about them that makes them seem pompous and scary. It’s a shame because the minute someone mentions ‘the classics’ most people understandably go into shut-down.
I had to read Walden in high school and I did not fully appreciate it at the time. While I still find the whole of Walden a bit daunting, the years have given me a great appreciation for Thoreau. One of my (many) favorites: “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away.”
Jill London 
Excellent, I have this on my e-reader to enjoy soon 🙂
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I’m fairly new to Thoreau but I think he has the most wonderful quiet assurance in his writing. I think you will enjoy it 🙂
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I’ve read a little and am making my way through “Walking” just now – it’s startling how modern his writing style reads!
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I agree! I was expecting something stuffy and Victorian but I think most authors are surprising like that. It’s only listening to ‘experts’ gushing about them that makes them seem pompous and scary. It’s a shame because the minute someone mentions ‘the classics’ most people understandably go into shut-down.
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That’s one of my favorite quotes from Thoreau. I have it hanging in my office 🙂
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Happy happy coincidence! I love coincidences 🙂
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I had to read Walden in high school and I did not fully appreciate it at the time. While I still find the whole of Walden a bit daunting, the years have given me a great appreciation for Thoreau. One of my (many) favorites: “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away.”
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Thanks Olivia! That is a great one. I’m adding it to my list 🙂
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