--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A puritan may go to his brown-bread crust…" description: "\"“A puritan may go to his brown-bread crust with as gross an appetite as ever an alderman to his turtle. Not that food which entereth into the mouth def..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d6/henry-david-thoreau-20_appetite_a-puritan-may-go-to-his-brown-bread-crus_71932.jpg" --- # A puritan may go to his brown-bread crust with as gross an… ![“A puritan may go to his brown-bread crust with as gross an appetite as ever an alderman to his turtle. Not that food which entereth into the mouth defileth a man, but the appetite with which it is eaten. It is neither the quality nor the quantity, but the devotion to sensual savors;” quote by Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d6/henry-david-thoreau-20_appetite_a-puritan-may-go-to-his-brown-bread-crus_71932.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d6/henry-david-thoreau-20_appetite_a-puritan-may-go-to-his-brown-bread-crus_71932.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d6/henry-david-thoreau-20_appetite_a-puritan-may-go-to-his-brown-bread-crus_71932.jpg) > ““A puritan may go to his brown-bread crust with as gross an appetite as ever an alderman to his turtle. Not that food which entereth into the mouth defileth a man, but the appetite with which it is eaten. It is neither the quality nor the quantity, but the devotion to sensual savors;”” [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The moral quality of a person depends on the desire behind consumption, not the material itself. **In simple terms:** Desire shapes virtue more than the object. Key Takeaway Intent matters more than content. Themes ethics desire materialism self-discipline spirituality Mood contemplative critical inquisitive Type philosophical moral reflective When to use this quote - religious fasting - luxury indulgence - dietary choices - consumer behavior - moral judgment Key Concepts appetite devotion sensuality puritanism Practical Applications - ethical counseling - mindful eating guidance Questions to Reflect On - How does intention affect moral evaluation? - Can one enjoy pleasures without compromising virtue? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appetite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appetite/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Puritan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puritan/) ## Related quotes > [“Not that food which entereth into the moth defileth a man, but the appetite with which it is eaten. It is neither the quality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/not-that-food-which-entereth-into-the-moth-defileth-a-man-but-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“We got teeth of a man but appetite of a lion!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinita-kinra/we-got-teeth-of-a-man-but-appetite-of-a-lion/) [Vinita Kinra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinita-kinra/) > [The idea that freedom is merely the ability to act upon one's whims is surely very thin and hardly begins to capture the complexities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/the-idea-that-freedom-is-merely-the-ability-to-act-upon-one-s-whims/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [Like hunger, physical love is a necessity. But man's appetite for amour is never so regular or so sustained as his appetite for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/like-hunger-physical-love-is-a-necessity-but-man-s-appetite-for-amour/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [Whatsoever is the object of any man's Appetite or Desire; that is it which he for his part calleth Good: and the object of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hobbes/whatsoever-is-the-object-of-any-man-s-appetite-or-desire-that-is-it/) [Thomas Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hobbes/) > [Any man today who returns from work, sinks into a chair, and calls for his pipe is a man with an appetite for danger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/any-man-today-who-returns-from-work-sinks-into-a-chair-and-calls-for/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [Nature makes the locust with an appetite for crops; man would have made him with an appetite for sand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/nature-makes-the-locust-with-an-appetite-for-crops-man-would-have/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“You’ll find out it’s little savors and little things that count more than big ones. A walk on a spring morning is better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-ll-find-out-it-s-little-savors-and-little-things-that-count-more/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [O love, if I regret the age when one savors you, it is not for the hour of pleasure, but for the one that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/o-love-if-i-regret-the-age-when-one-savors-you-it-is-not-for-the-hour/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [To crave and to have are as like as a thing and its shadow. For when does a berry break upon the tongue as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/to-crave-and-to-have-are-as-like-as-a-thing-and-its-shadow-for-when-2/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [Fortune favors, flavors and savors the brave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king/fortune-favors-flavors-and-savors-the-brave/) [John Alejandro King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king/) > [“To crave and to have are as like as a thing and its shadow. For when does a berry break upon the tongue as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/to-crave-and-to-have-are-as-like-as-a-thing-and-its-shadow-for-when/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [one of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at twenty−one that everything afterward savors of anti−climax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/one-of-those-men-who-reach-such-an-acute-limited-excellence-at-twenty/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“Bill, when you're my age, you'll find out it's the little savors and little things that count more than big ones. A walk on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/bill-when-you-re-my-age-you-ll-find-out-it-s-the-little-savors-and/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“Need can blossom into all the compensations it requires. To crave and to have are as like as a thing and its shadow. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/need-can-blossom-into-all-the-compensations-it-requires-to-crave-and/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) ## 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/) [Explore all 3,376 Henry David Thoreau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## More Appetite quotes > [I could not limit my values and pursuits to what makes others comfortable. Being possessed by a promise I live without options. I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/i-could-not-limit-my-values-and-pursuits-to-what-makes-others/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [the appetite for thinking must be regulated, as all sensible people know, for it may stifle one's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/the-appetite-for-thinking-must-be-regulated-as-all-sensible-people/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [“if you cannot control your hunger and appetite, good luck managing your blood chemistry, metabolism, waistline, and, in the bigger picture, the prospect of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-perlmutter/if-you-cannot-control-your-hunger-and-appetite-good-luck-managing/) [David Perlmutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-perlmutter/) > [I don't think I've ever bench-pressed anything in my life. Until about two years ago I swam a mile almost every day. Then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-antosca/i-don-t-think-i-ve-ever-bench-pressed-anything-in-my-life-until-about/) [Nick Antosca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-antosca/) > [If I had been an Italian I am sure that I should have been whole-heartedly with you from the start to finish in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/if-i-had-been-an-italian-i-am-sure-that-i-should-have-been-whole/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [It could be my British need for discipline that makes me admire the American appetite for freedom and passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-winwood/it-could-be-my-british-need-for-discipline-that-makes-me-admire-the/) [Steve Winwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-winwood/) > [My curiosity and my appetite for evolving as an actor is one of the main components of me still working today in the business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-cattrall/my-curiosity-and-my-appetite-for-evolving-as-an-actor-is-one-of-the/) [Kim Cattrall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-cattrall/) > [I have a strong appetite and its not for food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-a-strong-appetite-and-its-not-for-food/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The plain fact is that education is itself a form of propaganda - a deliberate scheme to outfit the pupil, not with the capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-plain-fact-is-that-education-is-itself-a-form-of-propaganda-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You should also eat eggs. Not “one egg per week” or some such non-physiologic restriction. Eat what your body tells you to eat, since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-davis/you-should-also-eat-eggs-not-one-egg-per-week-or-some-such-non/) [William Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-davis/) > [If your desires are not great, a little will seem much to you; for small appetite makes poverty equivalent to wealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/democritus/if-your-desires-are-not-great-a-little-will-seem-much-to-you-for/) [Democritus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/democritus/) > [When passions and appetites are stronger than the intellect, men are savages; when the intellect governs the passions, when the passions are servants, men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/when-passions-and-appetites-are-stronger-than-the-intellect-men-are/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [A pivotal spiritual attribute is that of self-mastery-th e strength to place reason over appetite. Self-mastery builds a strong conscience. And your conscience determines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-m-nelson/a-pivotal-spiritual-attribute-is-that-of-self-mastery-th-e-strength/) [Russell M. Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-m-nelson/) > [The commonest and cheapest sounds, as the barking of a dog, produce the same effect on fresh and healthy ears that the rarest music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-commonest-and-cheapest-sounds-as-the-barking-of-a-dog-produce-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Browse all 994 Appetite quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appetite/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A puritan may go to his brown-bread crust with as gross an appetite as ever an alderman to his turtle. Not that food which entereth into the mouth defileth a man, but the appetite with which it is eaten. It is neither the quality nor the quantity, but the devotion to sensual savors;”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry David Thoreau" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-puritan-may-go-to-his-brown-bread-crust-with-as-gross-an-appetite/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Appetite" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-puritan-may-go-to-his-brown-bread-crust-with-as-gross-an-appetite/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d6/henry-david-thoreau-20_appetite_a-puritan-may-go-to-his-brown-bread-crus_71932.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d6/henry-david-thoreau-20_appetite_a-puritan-may-go-to-his-brown-bread-crus_71932.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d6/henry-david-thoreau-20_appetite_a-puritan-may-go-to-his-brown-bread-crus_71932.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A puritan may go to his brown-bread crust with as gross an appetite as ever an alderman to his turtle. Not…” — Henry David Thoreau", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Henry David Thoreau", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A puritan may go to his...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-puritan-may-go-to-his-brown-bread-crust-with-as-gross-an-appetite/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-puritan-may-go-to-his-brown-bread-crust-with-as-gross-an-appetite/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```