Change Quote by Henry David Thoreau
““I think that we may safely trust a good deal more than we do. We may waive just so much care of ourselves as we honestly bestow elsewhere. Nature is well adapted to our weakness as our strength. The incessant anxiety and strain of some is a well nigh incurable form of disease. We are made to exaggerate the importance of what work we do; and yet how much is not done by us! or, what if we had been taken sick? How vigilant we are! determined not to live by faith if we can avoid it; all the day long on the alert, at night we unwillingly say our prayers and commit ourselves to uncertainties. So thoroughly and sincerely are we compelled to live, reverencing our life, and denying the possibility of change. This is the only way, we say; but there are as many ways as there can be drawn radii from one centre. All change is a miracle to contemplate; but it is a miracle which is taking place every instant. Confucius said, “To know that we know what we know, and that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge.” When one man has reduced a fact of the imagination to be a fact to his understanding, I foresee that all men will at length establish their lives on that basis.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Walden, Henry David Thoreau, 1854
Human beings tend to overestimate personal control and underestimate nature’s role, leading to anxiety and resistance to change.
In simple terms: We overtrust ourselves and fear uncertainty, missing nature’s balance.
Accept uncertainty and trust natural balance.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- personal growth
- mental health
- spiritual practice
- decision making
- adaptation
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you balance personal effort with trust in natural processes?
- What habits reduce anxiety about uncertainty?
Overemphasis on control can hinder openness to new possibilities.