--- title: "7 Dull Quotes By Henry David Thoreau" description: "7 Dull quotes by Henry David Thoreau. Plus more from Henry David Thoreau and more Dull sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df5/henry-david-thoreau-20_chagrin_silence-is-the-universal-refuge-the-sequ_36398.jpg" --- > [Silence is the universal refuge, the sequel to all dull discourses and all foolish acts, a balm to our every chagrin, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/silence-is-the-universal-refuge-the-sequel-to-all-dull-discourses-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df5/henry-david-thoreau-20_chagrin_silence-is-the-universal-refuge-the-sequ_36398.jpg) > [A thrumming of piano-strings beyond the gardens and through the elms. At length the melody steals into my being. I know not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-thrumming-of-piano-strings-beyond-the-gardens-and-through-the-elms/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/741/henry-david-thoreau-20_circumstances_a-thrumming-of-piano-strings-beyond-the_37420.jpg) > [It is not all books that are as dull as their readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-not-all-books-that-are-as-dull-as-their-readers/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f44/henry-david-thoreau-20_book_it-is-not-all-books-that-are-as-dull-as_630771.jpg) > [You ask if there is no doctrine of sorrow in my philosophy. Of acute sorrow I suppose that I know comparatively little.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/you-ask-if-there-is-no-doctrine-of-sorrow-in-my-philosophy-of-acute/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a94/henry-david-thoreau-20_asks_you-ask-if-there-is-no-doctrine-of-sorro_631909.jpg) > [Silence is the universal refuge, the sequel to all dull discourses and all foolish acts, a balm to our every chagrin, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/silence-is-the-universal-refuge-the-sequel-to-all-dull-discourses-and-2/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a3/henry-david-thoreau-20_asylums_silence-is-the-universal-refuge-the-sequ_1376027.jpg) > [The intellect of most men is barren. They neither fertilize or are fertilized. It is the marriage of the soul with nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-intellect-of-most-men-is-barren-they-neither-fertilize-or-are/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/046/henry-david-thoreau-20_awakened_the-intellect-of-most-men-is-barren-they_2094446.jpg) > [For the most part we stupidly confound one man with another. The dull distinguish only races or nations, or at most classes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/for-the-most-part-we-stupidly-confound-one-man-with-another-the-dull/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/henry-david-thoreau-20_class_for-the-most-part-we-stupidly-confound-o_2521984.jpg) ## Other authors on Dull ## 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/dull/henry-david-thoreau/#itemlist", "name": "7 Dull Quotes By Henry David Thoreau", "numberOfItems": 7, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Silence is the universal refuge, the sequel to all dull discourses and all foolish acts, a balm to our every chagrin, as welcome after satiety as after disappointment", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry David Thoreau" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/silence-is-the-universal-refuge-the-sequel-to-all-dull-discourses-and/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df5/henry-david-thoreau-20_chagrin_silence-is-the-universal-refuge-the-sequ_36398.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df5/henry-david-thoreau-20_chagrin_silence-is-the-universal-refuge-the-sequ_36398.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df5/henry-david-thoreau-20_chagrin_silence-is-the-universal-refuge-the-sequ_36398.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Silence is the universal refuge, the sequel to all dull discourses and all foolish acts, a balm to our every…” — Henry David Thoreau", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A thrumming of piano-strings beyond the gardens and through the elms. 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