--- title: "6 Meanness Quotes By Henry David Thoreau" description: "6 Meanness quotes by Henry David Thoreau. Plus more from Henry David Thoreau and more Meanness sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/henry-david-thoreau-20_blood_we-are-all-sculptors-and-painters-and-ou_836566.jpg" --- > [We are all sculptors and painters, and our material is our own flesh and blood and bone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/we-are-all-sculptors-and-painters-and-our-material-is-our-own-flesh/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/henry-david-thoreau-20_blood_we-are-all-sculptors-and-painters-and-ou_836566.jpg) > [Every man is the builder of a temple, called his body, to the god he worships, after a style purely his own,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/every-man-is-the-builder-of-a-temple-called-his-body-to-the-god-he-2/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/761/henry-david-thoreau-20_blood_every-man-is-the-builder-of-a-temple-cal_1887354.jpg) > [“Any nobleness begins at once to refine a man's features, any meanness or sensuality to imbrute them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/any-nobleness-begins-at-once-to-refine-a-man-s-features-any-meanness/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/henry-david-thoreau-20_character_any-nobleness-begins-at-once-to-refine-a_2191091.jpg) > [White Pond and Walden are great crystals on the surface of the earth, Lakes of Light… They are too pure to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/white-pond-and-walden-are-great-crystals-on-the-surface-of-the-earth/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36a/henry-david-thoreau-20_beautiful_white-pond-and-walden-are-great-crystals_2370743.jpg) > [“I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-wanted-to-live-deep-and-suck-out-all-the-marrow-of-life-to-live-so-2/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bb/henry-david-thoreau-20_life_i-wanted-to-live-deep-and-suck-out-all-t_2474790.jpg) > [We should never stand upon ceremony with sincerity. We should never cheat and insult and banish one another by our meanness, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/we-should-never-stand-upon-ceremony-with-sincerity-we-should-never/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abd/henry-david-thoreau-20_ceremony_we-should-never-stand-upon-ceremony-with_2958811.jpg) ## Other authors on Meanness - [Ralph Waldo Emerson 8 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meanness/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## 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/meanness/henry-david-thoreau/#itemlist", "name": "6 Meanness Quotes By Henry David Thoreau", "numberOfItems": 6, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are all sculptors and painters, and our material is our own flesh and blood and bone.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry David Thoreau" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/we-are-all-sculptors-and-painters-and-our-material-is-our-own-flesh/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/henry-david-thoreau-20_blood_we-are-all-sculptors-and-painters-and-ou_836566.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/henry-david-thoreau-20_blood_we-are-all-sculptors-and-painters-and-ou_836566.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/henry-david-thoreau-20_blood_we-are-all-sculptors-and-painters-and-ou_836566.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We are all sculptors and painters, and our material is our own flesh and blood and bone.” — Henry David Thoreau", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Every man is the builder of a temple, called his body, to the god he worships, after a style purely his own, nor can he get off by hammering marble instead. 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