--- title: "6 Fence Quotes By Henry David Thoreau" description: "6 Fence quotes by Henry David Thoreau. Plus more from Henry David Thoreau and more Fence sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a30/henry-david-thoreau-20_american-history_the-walls-that-fence-our-fields-as-well_477805.jpg" --- > [The walls that fence our fields, as well as modern Rome, and not less the Parthenon itself, are all built of ruins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-walls-that-fence-our-fields-as-well-as-modern-rome-and-not-less/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a30/henry-david-thoreau-20_american-history_the-walls-that-fence-our-fields-as-well_477805.jpg) > [He who rides and keeps the beaten track studies the fences chiefly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/he-who-rides-and-keeps-the-beaten-track-studies-the-fences-chiefly/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34d/henry-david-thoreau-20_beaten_he-who-rides-and-keeps-the-beaten-track_683189.jpg) > [Books of natural history make the most cheerful winter reading. I read in Audubon with a thrill of delight, when the snow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/books-of-natural-history-make-the-most-cheerful-winter-reading-i-read/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1aa/henry-david-thoreau-20_bird_books-of-natural-history-make-the-most-c_1188261.jpg) > [I knew that the wall was the main thing in Quebec, and had cost a great deal of money… In fact, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-knew-that-the-wall-was-the-main-thing-in-quebec-and-had-cost-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9f/henry-david-thoreau-20_america_i-knew-that-the-wall-was-the-main-thing_1655093.jpg) > [It is only necessary that man should start a fence that Nature should carry it on and complete it. The farmer cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-only-necessary-that-man-should-start-a-fence-that-nature-should/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d75/henry-david-thoreau-20_farmers_it-is-only-necessary-that-man-should-sta_1894577.jpg) > [I am amused to see from my window here how busily a man has divided and staked off his domain. God must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-am-amused-to-see-from-my-window-here-how-busily-a-man-has-divided/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b7/henry-david-thoreau-20_amused_i-am-amused-to-see-from-my-window-here-h_2634776.jpg) ## Other authors on Fence ## 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/fence/henry-david-thoreau/#itemlist", "name": "6 Fence Quotes By Henry David Thoreau", "numberOfItems": 6, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The walls that fence our fields, as well as modern Rome, and not less the Parthenon itself, are all built of ruins.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry David Thoreau" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-walls-that-fence-our-fields-as-well-as-modern-rome-and-not-less/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a30/henry-david-thoreau-20_american-history_the-walls-that-fence-our-fields-as-well_477805.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a30/henry-david-thoreau-20_american-history_the-walls-that-fence-our-fields-as-well_477805.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a30/henry-david-thoreau-20_american-history_the-walls-that-fence-our-fields-as-well_477805.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The walls that fence our fields, as well as modern Rome, and not less the Parthenon itself, are all built of…” — Henry David Thoreau", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He who rides and keeps the beaten track studies the fences chiefly.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry David Thoreau" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/he-who-rides-and-keeps-the-beaten-track-studies-the-fences-chiefly/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34d/henry-david-thoreau-20_beaten_he-who-rides-and-keeps-the-beaten-track_683189.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34d/henry-david-thoreau-20_beaten_he-who-rides-and-keeps-the-beaten-track_683189.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34d/henry-david-thoreau-20_beaten_he-who-rides-and-keeps-the-beaten-track_683189.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He who rides and keeps the beaten track studies the fences chiefly.” — Henry David Thoreau", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Books of natural history make the most cheerful winter reading. 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