--- title: "8 Dozen Quotes By Henry David Thoreau" description: "8 Dozen quotes by Henry David Thoreau. Plus more from Henry David Thoreau and more Dozen sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b56/henry-david-thoreau-20_beach_they-will-tell-you-tough-stories-of-shar_167037.jpg" --- > [They will tell you tough stories of sharks all over the Cape, which I do not presume to doubt utterly,--how they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/they-will-tell-you-tough-stories-of-sharks-all-over-the-cape-which-i/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b56/henry-david-thoreau-20_beach_they-will-tell-you-tough-stories-of-shar_167037.jpg) > [Books that are books are all that you want, and there are but a half dozen in any thousand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/books-that-are-books-are-all-that-you-want-and-there-are-but-a-half/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d09/henry-david-thoreau-20_book_books-that-are-books-are-all-that-you-wa_247580.jpg) > [“Books which are books are all that you want, and there are but half a dozen in any thousand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/books-which-are-books-are-all-that-you-want-and-there-are-but-half-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1e/henry-david-thoreau-20_books_books-which-are-books-are-all-that-you-w_579601.jpg) > [But, on more accounts than one, I had had enough of moose-hunting. I had not come to the woods for this purpose,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/but-on-more-accounts-than-one-i-had-had-enough-of-moose-hunting-i-had/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/491/henry-david-thoreau-20_accounts_but-on-more-accounts-than-one-i-had-had_966081.jpg) > [Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/simplicity-simplicity-simplicity-i-say-let-your-affairs-be-as-two-or/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc1/henry-david-thoreau-20_accounts_simplicity-simplicity-simplicity-i-say-l_1191480.jpg) > [Translate a book a dozen times from one language to another, and what becomes of its style? Most books would be worn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/translate-a-book-a-dozen-times-from-one-language-to-another-and-what/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/henry-david-thoreau-20_book_translate-a-book-a-dozen-times-from-one_1691808.jpg) > [I have heard a good many pretend that they are going to die; or that they have died, for aught that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-have-heard-a-good-many-pretend-that-they-are-going-to-die-or-that/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/henry-david-thoreau-20_died_i-have-heard-a-good-many-pretend-that-th_1851387.jpg) > [Verily, chemistry is not a splitting of hairs when you have got half a dozen raw Irishmen in the laboratory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/verily-chemistry-is-not-a-splitting-of-hairs-when-you-have-got-half-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a80/henry-david-thoreau-20_chemistry_verily-chemistry-is-not-a-splitting-of-h_2984812.jpg) ## Other authors on Dozen ## 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/dozen/henry-david-thoreau/#itemlist", "name": "8 Dozen Quotes By Henry David Thoreau", "numberOfItems": 8, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "They will tell you tough stories of sharks all over the Cape, which I do not presume to doubt utterly,--how they will sometimes upset a boat, or tear it in pieces, to get at the man in it. 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