--- title: "3 Boast Quotes By Henry David Thoreau" description: "3 Boast quotes by Henry David Thoreau. Plus more from Henry David Thoreau and more Boast sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/026/henry-david-thoreau-20_becoming_if-i-seem-to-boast-more-than-is-becoming_673326.jpg" --- > [If I seem to boast more than is becoming, my excuse is that I brag for humanity rather than for myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-i-seem-to-boast-more-than-is-becoming-my-excuse-is-that-i-brag-for/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/026/henry-david-thoreau-20_becoming_if-i-seem-to-boast-more-than-is-becoming_673326.jpg) > [We boast of our system of education, but why stop at schoolmasters and schoolhouses? We are all schoolmasters, and our schoolhouse is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/we-boast-of-our-system-of-education-but-why-stop-at-schoolmasters-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/henry-david-thoreau-20_absurd_we-boast-of-our-system-of-education-but_745508.jpg) > [It is comparatively a faint and reflected beauty that is admired, not an essential and intrinsic one. It is because the old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-comparatively-a-faint-and-reflected-beauty-that-is-admired-not/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65a/henry-david-thoreau-20_aging_it-is-comparatively-a-faint-and-reflecte_2369836.jpg) ## Other authors on Boast - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b001/author-francois-de-la-rochefoucauld-146.jpg) Francois de La Rochefoucauld 9 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boast/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b024/author-william-shakespeare-95899.jpg) William Shakespeare 8 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boast/william-shakespeare/) - [Samuel Johnson 5 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boast/samuel-johnson/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b017/author-mason-cooley-65303.jpg) Mason Cooley 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boast/mason-cooley/) - [Criss Jami 5 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boast/criss-jami/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b006/author-charles-spurgeon-22605.jpg) Charles Spurgeon 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boast/charles-spurgeon/) ## More by Henry David Thoreau > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Men say they know many things; But lo! they have taken wings, — The arts and sciences, And a thousand appliances; The wind that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/men-say-they-know-many-things-but-lo-they-have-taken-wings-the-arts/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I am not afraid of praise, for I have practiced it on myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-am-not-afraid-of-praise-for-i-have-practiced-it-on-myself/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or back gammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/all-voting-is-a-sort-of-gaming-like-checkers-or-back-gammon-with-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“This spending of the best part of one's life earning money in order to enjoy a questionable liberty during the least valuable part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/this-spending-of-the-best-part-of-one-s-life-earning-money-in-order/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [A traveler who looks at things with an impartial eye may see what the oldest inhabitant has not observed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-traveler-who-looks-at-things-with-an-impartial-eye-may-see-what-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [In proportion as our inward life fails, we go more constantly and desperately to the post office. You may depend on it, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/in-proportion-as-our-inward-life-fails-we-go-more-constantly-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-had-three-chairs-in-my-house-one-for-solitude-two-for-friendship/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The still youthful energies of the globe have only to be directed in their proper channel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-still-youthful-energies-of-the-globe-have-only-to-be-directed-in/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Concord's little arch does not span all our fate, nor is what transpires under it law for the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/concord-s-little-arch-does-not-span-all-our-fate-nor-is-what/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The lumberers rarely trouble themselves to put out their fires, such is the dampness of the primitive forest; and this is one cause, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-lumberers-rarely-trouble-themselves-to-put-out-their-fires-such/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“When he has obtained those things which are necessary to life, there is another alternative than to obtain the superfluities; and that is, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/when-he-has-obtained-those-things-which-are-necessary-to-life-there/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Wealth is measured by the level of experience in all aspects of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/wealth-is-measured-by-the-level-of-experience-in-all-aspects-of-life/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boast/henry-david-thoreau/#itemlist", "name": "3 Boast Quotes By Henry David Thoreau", "numberOfItems": 3, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I seem to boast more than is becoming, my excuse is that I brag for humanity rather than for myself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry David Thoreau" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-i-seem-to-boast-more-than-is-becoming-my-excuse-is-that-i-brag-for/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/026/henry-david-thoreau-20_becoming_if-i-seem-to-boast-more-than-is-becoming_673326.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/026/henry-david-thoreau-20_becoming_if-i-seem-to-boast-more-than-is-becoming_673326.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/026/henry-david-thoreau-20_becoming_if-i-seem-to-boast-more-than-is-becoming_673326.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I seem to boast more than is becoming, my excuse is that I brag for humanity rather than for myself.” — Henry David Thoreau", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We boast of our system of education, but why stop at schoolmasters and schoolhouses? 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