---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is an unfortunate discovery certainly…"
description: "\"It is an unfortunate discovery certainly, that of a law which binds us where we did not know before that we were bound.\" — Henry David Thoreau"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/henry-david-thoreau-20_bounds_it-is-an-unfortunate-discovery-certainly_3159548.jpg"
---

#  It is an unfortunate discovery certainly, that of a law…

![“It is an unfortunate discovery certainly, that of a law which binds us where we did not know before that we were bound.” quote by Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/henry-david-thoreau-20_bounds_it-is-an-unfortunate-discovery-certainly_3159548.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/henry-david-thoreau-20_bounds_it-is-an-unfortunate-discovery-certainly_3159548.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/henry-david-thoreau-20_bounds_it-is-an-unfortunate-discovery-certainly_3159548.jpg)

> “It is an unfortunate discovery certainly, that of a law which binds us where we did not know before that we were bound.”

[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.

We often discover obligations only after we act, showing that freedom comes with unseen responsibilities.

**In simple terms:** We learn we’re bound after we act.

Key Takeaway

Stay aware of hidden responsibilities.

Themes

responsibility freedom awareness

Mood

contemplative serious

Type

philosophical ethical

When to use this quote

- activism
- policy making
- personal decisions
- community involvement

Key Concepts

ethics social contract

Questions to Reflect On

- What obligations have you overlooked?
- How can you anticipate hidden duties?

A Different Perspective

Ignoring unseen constraints can lead to unintended harm.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bounds/) [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Discovery Certainly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery-certainly-4127606/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Law Binds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-binds-5705393/) [Unfortunate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unfortunate/) [Unfortunate Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unfortunate-discovery-5705392/)

## Related quotes

> [The joy of discovery is certainly the liveliest that the mind of man can ever feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-bernard/the-joy-of-discovery-is-certainly-the-liveliest-that-the-mind-of-man/)

[Claude Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-bernard/)

> [How far men go for the material of their houses! The inhabitants of the most civilized cities, in all ages, send into far, primitive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/how-far-men-go-for-the-material-of-their-houses-the-inhabitants-of/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [My desire for knowledge is intermittent; but my desire to bathe my head in atmospheres unknown to my feet is perennial and constant. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/my-desire-for-knowledge-is-intermittent-but-my-desire-to-bathe-my/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [We must remember when we speak of the "negativism" of the toddler that this is also the child who is intoxicated with the discoveries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selma-fraiberg/we-must-remember-when-we-speak-of-the-negativism-of-the-toddler-that/)

[Selma Fraiberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selma-fraiberg/)

> [It is worth the while to detect new faculties in man,--he is so much the more divine; and anything that fairly excites our admiration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-worth-the-while-to-detect-new-faculties-in-man-he-is-so-much/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [There has been, for some reason (or more likely an unfortunate accumulation of reasons) a trend over the past several decades for parents to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-hax/there-has-been-for-some-reason-or-more-likely-an-unfortunate/)

[Carolyn Hax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-hax/)

> [Atheism can benefit no class of people; neither the unfortunate, whom it bereaves of hope, nor the prosperous, whose joys it renders insipid, nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-ois-ren-de-chateaubriand/atheism-can-benefit-no-class-of-people-neither-the-unfortunate-whom/)

[François-René de Chateaubriand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-ois-ren-de-chateaubriand/)

> [It is unfortunate when final decisions are made by chieftains headquartered miles away from the front, where they can only guess at conditions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/attila-the-hun/it-is-unfortunate-when-final-decisions-are-made-by-chieftains/)

[Attila the Hun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/attila-the-hun/)

> [The world is more like it is now then it ever has before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-world-is-more-like-it-is-now-then-it-ever-has-before/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I would prefer to have a more appealing job. If I could still change careers, I would prefer it. This unfortunate art is made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-claudel/i-would-prefer-to-have-a-more-appealing-job-if-i-could-still-change/)

[Camille Claudel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-claudel/)

> [It is unfortunate to consider all lawyers as natural Satanists many are just dumb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-maslow/it-is-unfortunate-to-consider-all-lawyers-as-natural-satanists-many/)

[Abraham Maslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-maslow/)

> [It's unfortunate that a lot of people think African-American female artists are monolithically R&B this-or-that, don't have to do anything by default.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/it-s-unfortunate-that-a-lot-of-people-think-african-american-female/)

[Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/)

> [Biochemists and biologists who adhere blindly to the Darwinism theory search for results that will be in agreement with their theories and consequently orient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-paul-grasse/biochemists-and-biologists-who-adhere-blindly-to-the-darwinism-theory/)

[Pierre-Paul Grasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-paul-grasse/)

> [I shall pray God to send charity into this hideous world, and sympathy for the weak, and love for the unhappy and unfortunate. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/i-shall-pray-god-to-send-charity-into-this-hideous-world-and-sympathy/)

[John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/)

> [The dog is guided by kindly instinct to the man or woman whose heart is open to his advances. The cat often leaves the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/the-dog-is-guided-by-kindly-instinct-to-the-man-or-woman-whose-heart/)

[Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/)

## 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 Bounds quotes

> [Man will not always stay on Earth; the pursuit of light and space will lead him to penetrate the bounds of the atmosphere, timidly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konstantin-tsiolkovsky/man-will-not-always-stay-on-earth-the-pursuit-of-light-and-space-will/)

[Konstantin Tsiolkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konstantin-tsiolkovsky/)

> [Importunity is a condition of prayer. We are to press the matter, not with vain repetitions, but with urgent repetitions. We repeat, not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mckendree-bounds/importunity-is-a-condition-of-prayer-we-are-to-press-the-matter-not/)

[Edward McKendree Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-mckendree-bounds/)

> [If the civil magistrate be a Christian, a disciple or follower of the meek Lamb of God, he is bound to be far from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-williams/if-the-civil-magistrate-be-a-christian-a-disciple-or-follower-of-the/)

[Roger Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-williams/)

> [We have committed ourselves to pursue joint policies, but then national governments say, "We aren't bound by that." That is a dramatic situation, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/we-have-committed-ourselves-to-pursue-joint-policies-but-then/)

[Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/)

> [The World's a Printing-House, our words, our thoughts, Our deeds, are characters of several sizes. Each soul is a Compos'tor, of whose faults The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/the-world-s-a-printing-house-our-words-our-thoughts-our-deeds-are/)

[Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/)

> [Christian obligation cannot be made to accord with a law of expediency. The Christian's maxims are, Do right because you are bound to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-landey-patton/christian-obligation-cannot-be-made-to-accord-with-a-law-of/)

[Francis Landey Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-landey-patton/)

> [Such as the chain of causes we call Fate, such is the chain of wishes: one links on to another; the whole man is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/such-as-the-chain-of-causes-we-call-fate-such-is-the-chain-of-wishes/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> ['You spin in the sky, the world spins under you, and you step from land to land, while we . . .' She turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/you-spin-in-the-sky-the-world-spins-under-you-and-you-step-from-land/)

[Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/)

> ['Facts' are the bounds of human knowledge, set for it, not by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/facts-are-the-bounds-of-human-knowledge-set-for-it-not-by-it/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [An order given in battle, an instruction issued by the master of a sailing ship, a cry for help, are as powerful in modifying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/an-order-given-in-battle-an-instruction-issued-by-the-master-of-a/)

[Bronislaw Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/)

> [It is only when our life proceeds within bounds and in an accepted, disciplined way, that the mind can be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinoba-bhave/it-is-only-when-our-life-proceeds-within-bounds-and-in-an-accepted/)

[Vinoba Bhave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinoba-bhave/)

> [Yes, thou art ever present, power divine; not circumscribed by time, nor fixed by space, confined to altars, nor to temples bound. In wealth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/yes-thou-art-ever-present-power-divine-not-circumscribed-by-time-nor/)

[Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/)

> [I have visited sweatshops, factories, and crowded slums. If I could not see it, I could smell it. The foundation of society is laid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/i-have-visited-sweatshops-factories-and-crowded-slums-if-i-could-not/)

[Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/)

> [Once we are bound together to our brothers by a common good that is outside us, then we can breathe. Experience teaches us that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/once-we-are-bound-together-to-our-brothers-by-a-common-good-that-is/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [I am quite conscious that my speculations run beyond the bounds of true science…It is a mere rag of an hypothesis with as many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/i-am-quite-conscious-that-my-speculations-run-beyond-the-bounds-of/)

[Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/)

[Browse all 1,649 Bounds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bounds/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is an unfortunate discovery certainly, that of a law which binds us where we did not know before that we were bound.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Henry David Thoreau"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-an-unfortunate-discovery-certainly-that-of-a-law-which-binds-us/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bounds"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-an-unfortunate-discovery-certainly-that-of-a-law-which-binds-us/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/henry-david-thoreau-20_bounds_it-is-an-unfortunate-discovery-certainly_3159548.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/henry-david-thoreau-20_bounds_it-is-an-unfortunate-discovery-certainly_3159548.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/923/henry-david-thoreau-20_bounds_it-is-an-unfortunate-discovery-certainly_3159548.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is an unfortunate discovery certainly, that of a law which binds us where we did not know before that we…” — 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": "It is an unfortunate discovery certainly,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-an-unfortunate-discovery-certainly-that-of-a-law-which-binds-us/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-an-unfortunate-discovery-certainly-that-of-a-law-which-binds-us/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```