--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What does Africa — what does the West…" description: "\"“What does Africa — what does the West stand for? Is not our own interior white on the chart? black though it may prove, like the coast, when discovere..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/henry-david-thoreau-20_every-man_what-does-africa-what-does-the-west-stan_23985.jpg" --- # What does Africa — what does the West stand for? Is not… ![“What does Africa — what does the West stand for? Is not our own interior white on the chart? black though it may prove, like the coast, when discovered. Is it the source of the Nile, or the Niger, or the Mississippi, or a Northwest Passage around this continent, that we would find? Are these the…” quote by Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/henry-david-thoreau-20_every-man_what-does-africa-what-does-the-west-stan_23985.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/henry-david-thoreau-20_every-man_what-does-africa-what-does-the-west-stan_23985.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/henry-david-thoreau-20_every-man_what-does-africa-what-does-the-west-stan_23985.jpg) > ““What does Africa — what does the West stand for? Is not our own interior white on the chart? black though it may prove, like the coast, when discovered. Is it the source of the Nile, or the Niger, or the Mississippi, or a Northwest Passage around this continent, that we would find? Are these the problems which most concern mankind? Is Franklin the only man who is lost, that his wife should be so earnest to find him? Does Mr. Grinnell know where he himself is? Be rather the Mungo Park,the Lewis and Clark and Frobisher,of your own streams and oceans; explore your own higher latitudes — with shiploads of preserved meats to support you, if they be necessary; and pile the empty cans sky-high for a sign. Were preserved meats invented to preserve meat merely? Nay, be a Columbus to whole new continents and worlds within you, opening new channels, not of trade, but of thought. Every man is the lord of a realm beside which the earthly empire of the Czar is but a petty state, a hummock left by the ice. Yet some can be patriotic who have no self-respect, and sacrifice the greater to the less. They love the soil which makes their graves, but have no sympathy with the spirit which may still animate their clay. Patriotism is a maggot in their heads.What was the meaning of that South-Sea Exploring Expedition,with all its parade and expense, but an indirect recognition of the fact that there are continents and seas in the moral world to which every man is an isthmus or an inlet, yet unexplored by him, but that it is easier to sail many thousand miles through cold and storm and cannibals, in a government ship, with five hundred men and boys to assist one, than it is to explore the private sea, the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean of one's being alone.”” [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 passage urges introspection over external conquest, urging individuals to explore their inner moral landscapes rather than merely charting physical territories. **In simple terms:** Explore inner moral terrain instead of external frontiers. Key Takeaway True discovery is internal, not geographic. Themes Self-knowledge Patriotism critique Exploration metaphor Moral geography Individual agency Mood Contemplative Provocative Melancholic Type Philosophical Reflective Critique When to use this quote - Personal crisis prompting self‑examination - Nationalistic rhetoric confronting moral emptiness - Academic debate on colonial legacy - Creative writing about inner journeys - Leadership training on reflective practice Key Concepts Inner versus outer exploration Critique of imperialism Personal responsibility Spiritual self-sufficiency Practical Applications - Philosophical counseling - Literary analysis of existential themes Questions to Reflect On - How does one balance societal duties with personal introspection? - What practices help cultivate an inner 'exploration' of values? A Different Perspective Some may argue that external achievements can inspire inner growth, but the text stresses that external conquest alone cannot substitute for personal moral development. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Continent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/continent/) [Lewis and clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lewis-and-clark/) [Pacific ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pacific-ocean/) ## Related quotes > [There are continents and seas in the moral world, to which every man is an isthmus or inlet, yet unexplored by him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/there-are-continents-and-seas-in-the-moral-world-to-which-every-man/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The sea erupted. Often the sea and land changed places. The immobility of contours of continents and seas, a dogma in geology, has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-velikovsky/the-sea-erupted-often-the-sea-and-land-changed-places-the-immobility/) [Immanuel Velikovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-velikovsky/) > [ I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude. \[It allows you to\] be the Mungo Park, the Lewis and Clark of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-never-found-the-companion-that-was-so-companionable-as-solitude-it/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [It is not worth while to go round the world to count the cats in Zanzibar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-not-worth-while-to-go-round-the-world-to-count-the-cats-in/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [It is easier to sail many thousand miles through cold and storm and cannibals, in a government ship, with five hundred men and boys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-easier-to-sail-many-thousand-miles-through-cold-and-storm-and-2/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [It is easier to sail many thousand miles through cold and storm and cannibals, ina government ship, with five hundred men and boys to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-easier-to-sail-many-thousand-miles-through-cold-and-storm-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Ms. Wormwood: Calvin, can you tell us what Lewis and Clark did? Calvin: No, but I can recite the secret superhero origin of each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/ms-wormwood-calvin-can-you-tell-us-what-lewis-and-clark-did-calvin-no/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [“At the time of Lewis and Clark, setting the prairies on fire was a well-known signal that meant, ‘Come down to the water.’ It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/at-the-time-of-lewis-and-clark-setting-the-prairies-on-fire-was-a/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [There's no map for you to follow and take your journey. You are Lewis and Clark. You are the mapmaker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillipa-soo/there-s-no-map-for-you-to-follow-and-take-your-journey-you-are-lewis/) [Phillipa Soo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillipa-soo/) > [Producing a series is like being Lewis and Clark: You know where you're going, you just don't know how you're going to get there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-carter/producing-a-series-is-like-being-lewis-and-clark-you-know-where-you/) [Chris Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-carter/) > [In the 7th grade, I made a 20-foot long mural of the Lewis and Clark Trail while we were studying that in history because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/in-the-7th-grade-i-made-a-20-foot-long-mural-of-the-lewis-and-clark/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [ That statement \[ Stephen Ambrose:'You, Sam, have the hardest job, which is, pretend like nothing has happened in the last 200 years.'\] woke me… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/that-statement-stephen-ambrose-you-sam-have-the-hardest-job-which-is/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [If education really educates, there will, in time, be more and more citizens who understand that relics of the old West add meaning and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/if-education-really-educates-there-will-in-time-be-more-and-more/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [I think observers, like me, sometimes know more about a place than the people who have lived there all their lives. People are always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marsh/i-think-observers-like-me-sometimes-know-more-about-a-place-than-the/) [Jean Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-marsh/) > [The ultimate camping trip was the Lewis and Clark expedition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/the-ultimate-camping-trip-was-the-lewis-and-clark-expedition/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) ## 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 Continent quotes > [The resources of our continent attract, more than ever, the interests of rich countries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-bongo/the-resources-of-our-continent-attract-more-than-ever-the-interests/) [Omar Bongo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-bongo/) > [Entire new continent can emerge from the ocean in the time it takes for a Web page to show up on your screen. Contrary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/entire-new-continent-can-emerge-from-the-ocean-in-the-time-it-takes/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [I represent my country, but I also represent the continent of Africa when I play in Europe. That's why it's important to try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaya-toure/i-represent-my-country-but-i-also-represent-the-continent-of-africa/) [Yaya Toure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaya-toure/) > [From time to time the continent shifts, and everything that isn't fastened down slides into Southern California.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/from-time-to-time-the-continent-shifts-and-everything-that-isn-t/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [Africa is not a country, but it is a continent like none other. It has that which is elegantly vast or awfully little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-wilder/africa-is-not-a-country-but-it-is-a-continent-like-none-other-it-has/) [Douglas Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-wilder/) > [I think people in Botswana are pleased that my books paint a positive picture of their lives and portray the country as being very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/i-think-people-in-botswana-are-pleased-that-my-books-paint-a-positive/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [Africa is a continent that provides so much for the existence of the rest of the world. We go around the world and cultivate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djimon-hounsou/africa-is-a-continent-that-provides-so-much-for-the-existence-of-the/) [Djimon Hounsou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djimon-hounsou/) > [I represent a great continent. People ask, Is there pressure on me? I don't feel pressure at all. It's an unbelievable challenge for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masai-ujiri/i-represent-a-great-continent-people-ask-is-there-pressure-on-me-i/) [Masai Ujiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masai-ujiri/) > [The forests of America, however slighted by man, must have been a great delight to God; for they were the best he ever planted.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/the-forests-of-america-however-slighted-by-man-must-have-been-a-great/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Australia is the only island continent on the planet, which means that changes caused by planet-warming pollution - warmer seas, which can drive stronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/australia-is-the-only-island-continent-on-the-planet-which-means-that/) [Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/) > [I think Africa is the most interesting continent on the planet. You look at a country like Egypt, and you look at a country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-brogdon/i-think-africa-is-the-most-interesting-continent-on-the-planet-you/) [Malcolm Brogdon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-brogdon/) > [Africans are on the front lines of humanitarian efforts, distributing life-saving aid in dangerous environments. Africans comprise the vast majority of peacekeepers in civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-prendergast/africans-are-on-the-front-lines-of-humanitarian-efforts-distributing/) [John Prendergast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-prendergast/) > [Suddenly the clouds seem high above us. They’re moving over us in an arch, circling the planet. They have seen abysmal oceans and charred,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/suddenly-the-clouds-seem-high-above-us-they-re-moving-over-us-in-an/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [Africa is one continent, one people, and one nation. The notion that in order to have a nation it is necessary for there to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/africa-is-one-continent-one-people-and-one-nation-the-notion-that-in/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [America is our continent. You feel in the daily language that Americans use the word "America" to erase the rest of the continent from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfredo-jaar/america-is-our-continent-you-feel-in-the-daily-language-that/) [Alfredo Jaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfredo-jaar/) [Browse all 223 Continent quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/continent/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What does Africa — what does the West stand for? Is not our own interior white on the chart? black though it may prove, like the coast, when discovered. Is it the source of the Nile, or the Niger, or the Mississippi, or a Northwest Passage around this continent, that we would find? Are these the problems which most concern mankind? Is Franklin the only man who is lost, that his wife should be so earnest to find him? Does Mr. Grinnell know where he himself is? Be rather the Mungo Park,the Lewis and Clark and Frobisher,of your own streams and oceans; explore your own higher latitudes — with shiploads of preserved meats to support you, if they be necessary; and pile the empty cans sky-high for a sign. Were preserved meats invented to preserve meat merely? Nay, be a Columbus to whole new continents and worlds within you, opening new channels, not of trade, but of thought. Every man is the lord of a realm beside which the earthly empire of the Czar is but a petty state, a hummock left by the ice. Yet some can be patriotic who have no self-respect, and sacrifice the greater to the less. They love the soil which makes their graves, but have no sympathy with the spirit which may still animate their clay. Patriotism is a maggot in their heads.What was the meaning of that South-Sea Exploring Expedition,with all its parade and expense, but an indirect recognition of the fact that there are continents and seas in the moral world to which every man is an isthmus or an inlet, yet unexplored by him, but that it is easier to sail many thousand miles through cold and storm and cannibals, in a government ship, with five hundred men and boys to assist one, than it is to explore the private sea, the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean of one's being alone.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry David Thoreau" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/what-does-africa-what-does-the-west-stand-for-is-not-our-own-interior/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Continent" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/what-does-africa-what-does-the-west-stand-for-is-not-our-own-interior/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/henry-david-thoreau-20_every-man_what-does-africa-what-does-the-west-stan_23985.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/henry-david-thoreau-20_every-man_what-does-africa-what-does-the-west-stan_23985.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/henry-david-thoreau-20_every-man_what-does-africa-what-does-the-west-stan_23985.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What does Africa — what does the West stand for? 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