--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every man has to learn the points of the…" description: "\"Every man has to learn the points of the compass again as often as he awakes, whether from sleep or any abstraction.\" — Henry David Thoreau" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/855/henry-david-thoreau-20_abstraction_every-man-has-to-learn-the-points-of-the_2686857.jpg" --- # Every man has to learn the points of the compass again as… ![“Every man has to learn the points of the compass again as often as he awakes, whether from sleep or any abstraction.” quote by Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/855/henry-david-thoreau-20_abstraction_every-man-has-to-learn-the-points-of-the_2686857.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/855/henry-david-thoreau-20_abstraction_every-man-has-to-learn-the-points-of-the_2686857.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/855/henry-david-thoreau-20_abstraction_every-man-has-to-learn-the-points-of-the_2686857.jpg) > “Every man has to learn the points of the compass again as often as he awakes, whether from sleep or any abstraction.” [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. One must regularly reorient oneself, especially after mental or physical rest. **In simple terms:** Relearn direction often. Key Takeaway Stay aware of your bearings. Themes self‑reflection mindfulness learning Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - daily meditation - travel planning - skill acquisition - creative brainstorming Key Concepts orientation habit formation consciousness Questions to Reflect On - When did you last reset your mental compass? - How does sleep affect your sense of direction? A Different Perspective Constant reorientation can be exhausting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstraction/) [Awakes Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awakes-sleep-2625363/) [Compass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compass/) [Compass Awakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compass-awakes-2625362/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Every man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-man/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Man Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-learn/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Points Compass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/points-compass-1640634/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) ## Related quotes > [There are no points of the compass on the chart of true patriotism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-charles-winthrop/there-are-no-points-of-the-compass-on-the-chart-of-true-patriotism/) [Robert Charles Winthrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-charles-winthrop/) > [Life is not a chain of events but an area-something spreading out from a hidden centre and welling at once toward all points of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-graham/life-is-not-a-chain-of-events-but-an-area-something-spreading-out/) [Stephen Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-graham/) > [The four points of the compass be logic, knowledge, wisdom and the unknown. Some do bow in that final direction. Others advance upon it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/the-four-points-of-the-compass-be-logic-knowledge-wisdom-and-the/) [Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/) > [“Every person, I have come to believe, has a moment or a place in life when all four points of the compass converge, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-geye/every-person-i-have-come-to-believe-has-a-moment-or-a-place-in-life/) [Peter Geye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-geye/) > [ “It will be seen that the form of the mountain’s spurs were very much \[the\] same as they appear on Thror’s map as published… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/it-will-be-seen-that-the-form-of-the-mountain-s-spurs-were-very-much/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [He is the best sailor who can steer within the fewest points of the wind, and extract a motive power out of the greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/he-is-the-best-sailor-who-can-steer-within-the-fewest-points-of-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [One of the chief things which my typical man has to learn is that the mental faculties are capable of a continuous hard activity;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/one-of-the-chief-things-which-my-typical-man-has-to-learn-is-that-the/) [Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/) > [The most important lesson that man can learn from life, is not that there is pain in this world, but that it is possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/the-most-important-lesson-that-man-can-learn-from-life-is-not-that/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [“Man can learn nothing except by going from the known to the unknown.” – Claude Bernard”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-flynn/man-can-learn-nothing-except-by-going-from-the-known-to-the-unknown/) [Pat Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-flynn/) > [A man cannot learn to be wise any more than he can learn to be handsome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/a-man-cannot-learn-to-be-wise-any-more-than-he-can-learn-to-be/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Man can learn a lot from fishing - when the fish are biting no problem in the world is big enough to be remembered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orlando-aloysius-battista/man-can-learn-a-lot-from-fishing-when-the-fish-are-biting-no-problem/) [Orlando Aloysius Battista](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orlando-aloysius-battista/) > [A man in his life may have many teachers, some most unexpected. The question lies with the man himself: Will he learn from them?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/a-man-in-his-life-may-have-many-teachers-some-most-unexpected-the/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [A Man who learn from other's mistake, who learn from the world, is a smart and intelligent person. A Man who learn from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chakshu-aggarwal/a-man-who-learn-from-other-s-mistake-who-learn-from-the-world-is-a/) [Chakshu Aggarwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chakshu-aggarwal/) > [A man must learn to understand the motives of human beings, their illusions, and their sufferings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-man-must-learn-to-understand-the-motives-of-human-beings-their/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [My mother always told me the best way to learn to deal with a man was to learn to ride a mule. She said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/my-mother-always-told-me-the-best-way-to-learn-to-deal-with-a-man-was/) [Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/) ## 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 Abstraction quotes > [Everything in dancing is style, allusion, the essence of many thoughts and feelings. The abstraction of many moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-ailey/everything-in-dancing-is-style-allusion-the-essence-of-many-thoughts/) [Alvin Ailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-ailey/) > [The premises from which we begin are not arbitrary ones, not dogmas, but real premises from which abstraction can only be made in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/the-premises-from-which-we-begin-are-not-arbitrary-ones-not-dogmas/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [Two elements are needed to form a truth - a fact and an abstraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/two-elements-are-needed-to-form-a-truth-a-fact-and-an-abstraction/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [But we must not underestimate the potency of the mathematical process of abstraction. A surprising variety of things happen to have both magnitude and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banesh-hoffmann/but-we-must-not-underestimate-the-potency-of-the-mathematical-process/) [Banesh Hoffmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banesh-hoffmann/) > [Sometimes I start in a very realistic fashion, and as I go on from one painting to another of the same kind, it becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/sometimes-i-start-in-a-very-realistic-fashion-and-as-i-go-on-from-one/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [I like residing in abstraction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/i-like-residing-in-abstraction/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [Cancer begins and ends with people. In the midst of scientific abstraction, it is sometimes possible to forget this one basic fact. Doctors treat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-goodfield/cancer-begins-and-ends-with-people-in-the-midst-of-scientific/) [June Goodfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-goodfield/) > [Yes, there was an element of abstraction and unreality in misfortune. But when an abstraction starts to kill you, you have to get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/yes-there-was-an-element-of-abstraction-and-unreality-in-misfortune/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Computer Science is a science of abstraction -creating the right model for a problem and devising the appropriate mechanizable techniques to solve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-aho/computer-science-is-a-science-of-abstraction-creating-the-right-model/) [Alfred Aho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-aho/) > [In 'Self Comes to Mind' I pay a lot of attention to simple creatures without brains or minds, because those 'cartooned abstractions of who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/in-self-comes-to-mind-i-pay-a-lot-of-attention-to-simple-creatures/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [Don't get stuck on the level of words. A word is no more than a means to an end. It's an abstraction. Not unlike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/don-t-get-stuck-on-the-level-of-words-a-word-is-no-more-than-a-means/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Holidays are in no sense an alternative to the congestion and bustle of the cities and work. Quite the contrary. People look to escape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/holidays-are-in-no-sense-an-alternative-to-the-congestion-and-bustle/) [Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/) > [The pragmatist turns away from abstraction and insufficiency, from verbal solutions, from bad a priori reasons, from fixed principles, closed systems, and pretended absolutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-pragmatist-turns-away-from-abstraction-and-insufficiency-from/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [ I'd say that \[Louis\] Brandeis practiced a kind of a "living originalism," to use the title of Jack Balkin's great book. He said you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-rosen/i-d-say-that-louis-brandeis-practiced-a-kind-of-a-living-originalism/) [Jeffrey Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-rosen/) > [When novels deal in abstractions, they generally go off the rails.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/when-novels-deal-in-abstractions-they-generally-go-off-the-rails/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) [Browse all 562 Abstraction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstraction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Every man has to learn the points of the compass again as often as he awakes, whether from sleep or any abstraction.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry David Thoreau" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/every-man-has-to-learn-the-points-of-the-compass-again-as-often-as-he/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abstraction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/every-man-has-to-learn-the-points-of-the-compass-again-as-often-as-he/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/855/henry-david-thoreau-20_abstraction_every-man-has-to-learn-the-points-of-the_2686857.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/855/henry-david-thoreau-20_abstraction_every-man-has-to-learn-the-points-of-the_2686857.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/855/henry-david-thoreau-20_abstraction_every-man-has-to-learn-the-points-of-the_2686857.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Every man has to learn the points of the compass again as often as he awakes, whether from sleep or any…” — 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": "Every man has to learn the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/every-man-has-to-learn-the-points-of-the-compass-again-as-often-as-he/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/every-man-has-to-learn-the-points-of-the-compass-again-as-often-as-he/#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 } } ] } ```