Skip to content

Girls and boys and young women generally seemed glad to be…

“Girls and boys and young women generally seemed glad to be in the woods. They looked in the pond and at the flowers, and improved their time. Men of business, even farmers, thought only of solitude and employment, and of the great distance at which I dwelt from something or other; and though they…” quote by Henry David Thoreau
Download Open image
““Girls and boys and young women generally seemed glad to be in the woods. They looked in the pond and at the flowers, and improved their time. Men of business, even farmers, thought only of solitude and employment, and of the great distance at which I dwelt from something or other; and though they said that they loved a ramble in the woods occasionally, it was obvious that they did not.””

Henry David Thoreau

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People in nature find peace, while those focused on work miss its restorative value.

In simple terms: Nature heals; work blinds.

Key Takeaway

Spend time outdoors regularly.

Themes

nature solitude work-life balance

Mood

reflective peaceful

Type

philosophical observational

When to use this quote

  • urban living
  • corporate jobs
  • mental health

Key Concepts

transcendentalism environmentalism

Questions to Reflect On

  • How can you bring nature into daily life?
  • What benefits have you felt from outdoor time?
A Different Perspective

Not everyone can access natural settings easily.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet

More by Henry David Thoreau

Explore all 3,376 Henry David Thoreau quotes

More Time quotes

Browse all 215,255 Time quotes