--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Knight's disdain for Thoreau was…" description: "\"“Knight's disdain for Thoreau was bottomless - 'he had no deep insight into nature'...”\" — Michael Finkel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/michael-finkel-7714_books_knight-s-disdain-for-thoreau-was-bottoml_2855381.jpg" --- # Knight's disdain for Thoreau was bottomless - 'he had no… ![“Knight's disdain for Thoreau was bottomless - 'he had no deep insight into nature'...” quote by Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/michael-finkel-7714_books_knight-s-disdain-for-thoreau-was-bottoml_2855381.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/michael-finkel-7714_books_knight-s-disdain-for-thoreau-was-bottoml_2855381.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/michael-finkel-7714_books_knight-s-disdain-for-thoreau-was-bottoml_2855381.jpg) > ““Knight's disdain for Thoreau was bottomless - 'he had no deep insight into nature'...”” [Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker despises Thoreau, accusing him of lacking deep insight into nature, indicating a conflict over philosophical perspectives. **In simple terms:** The speaker thinks Thoreau doesn't understand nature. Key Takeaway Respect differing viewpoints on nature. Themes philosophy literature conflict nature criticism Mood critical reflective Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - academic debate - personal belief discussion - environmental advocacy Key Concepts Thoreau's transcendentalism environmental philosophy literary critique Questions to Reflect On - What does "deep insight" mean to you? - Can disagreement foster deeper understanding? A Different Perspective Thoreau's insights may still hold value for some. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Bottomless Deep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottomless-deep-3823537/) [Disdain Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disdain-thoreau-3823534/) [Knight Disdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knight-disdain-3823536/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoreau/) [Thoreau Bottomless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoreau-bottomless-3823535/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [“Not till we have lost the world,” wrote Thoreau, “do we begin to find ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/not-till-we-have-lost-the-world-wrote-thoreau-do-we-begin-to-find/) [Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) > [“Even Henry David Thoreau, not known for kvetching, wrote in The Maine Woods that he was “seriously molested” by bugs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/even-henry-david-thoreau-not-known-for-kvetching-wrote-in-the-maine/) [Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) > [“What lies before us and what lies behind us are small matters compared to what lies within us. And when we bring what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/what-lies-before-us-and-what-lies-behind-us-are-small-matters/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [“Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.” ~ Henry David Thoreau”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-leopold/many-men-go-fishing-all-of-their-lives-without-knowing-that-it-is-not/) [Scott Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-leopold/) > [“He ate arugula (“rocket,” the old farmers called it) so strong it made his eyes water, like a paragraph of Thoreau.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/he-ate-arugula-rocket-the-old-farmers-called-it-so-strong-it-made-his/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [It happens from time to time in every complex and active society, that certain persons feel the complexity and insistence as a tangle, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/it-happens-from-time-to-time-in-every-complex-and-active-society-that/) [Charles Horton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/) > [“It's hard to explain, but it's related to me know that for every moment of beauty this place gives me, I probably miss a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-eagar/it-s-hard-to-explain-but-it-s-related-to-me-know-that-for-every/) [Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/) > [“There is an of-quoted passage in Walden, in which Thoreau exhorts us to find our pole star and to follow it unwaveringly as would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/there-is-an-of-quoted-passage-in-walden-in-which-thoreau-exhorts-us/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [Any page by Paul Goodman will give you not only originality and brilliance but wisdom, that is, something to think about. He is our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hayden-carruth/any-page-by-paul-goodman-will-give-you-not-only-originality-and/) [Hayden Carruth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hayden-carruth/) > [“...the values ascribed to the Indian will depend on what the white writer feels about Nature, and America has always had mixed feelings about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-values-ascribed-to-the-indian-will-depend-on-what-the-white/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Somehow I had learned from Thoreau, who doubtless learned it from Confucius, that if a man comes to do his own good for you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/somehow-i-had-learned-from-thoreau-who-doubtless-learned-it-from/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [When you're reading Thoreau you look at Hollywood differently, let me tell ya!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-hirsch/when-you-re-reading-thoreau-you-look-at-hollywood-differently-let-me/) [Emile Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-hirsch/) > [Henry David Thoreau, who never earned much of a living or sustained a relationship with any woman that wasn't brotherly -- who lived mostly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hoagland/henry-david-thoreau-who-never-earned-much-of-a-living-or-sustained-a/) [Edward Hoagland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hoagland/) > [“Concord is a classic land. The names of Emerson and Thoreau and Channing and Hawthorne are associated with the fields and forests and lakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-bronson-alcott/concord-is-a-classic-land-the-names-of-emerson-and-thoreau-and/) [Amos Bronson Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-bronson-alcott/) > [I like the story about Henry David Thoreau, who, when he was on his death bed, his family sent for a minister. The minister…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-udall/i-like-the-story-about-henry-david-thoreau-who-when-he-was-on-his/) [Stewart Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-udall/) ## More by Michael Finkel > [I never do formal interviews. I don't use a tape recorder. I take notes but occasionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/i-never-do-formal-interviews-i-don-t-use-a-tape-recorder-i-take-notes/) [Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) > [“He has seen the bottomless nonsense of our world and has decided, like most of us, to simply try to tolerate it. He appears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/he-has-seen-the-bottomless-nonsense-of-our-world-and-has-decided-like/) [Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) > [America might be the land of second chances, but it ain't the land of third chances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/america-might-be-the-land-of-second-chances-but-it-ain-t-the-land-of/) [Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) > [“the true solitary does not seek himself, but loses himself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/the-true-solitary-does-not-seek-himself-but-loses-himself/) [Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) > [“The American essayist William Deresiewicz wrote that “no real excellence, personal or social, artistic, philosophical, scientific, or moral, can arise without solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/the-american-essayist-william-deresiewicz-wrote-that-no-real/) [Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) > [“If you like solitude, you're never alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/if-you-like-solitude-you-re-never-alone/) [Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) > [“The first great literary work about solitude, the Tao Te Ching, was written in ancient China, likely in the sixth century B.C., by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/the-first-great-literary-work-about-solitude-the-tao-te-ching-was/) [Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) > [There have always been hermits: people who want to get away from other humans. Literally, some of the first extant books and poems found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/there-have-always-been-hermits-people-who-want-to-get-away-from-other/) [Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) > [“The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, by William Shirer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-third-reich-by-william-shirer/) [Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) > [I think many people have this sense that something about modern society - the screens, the noise, the traffic, the constant busyness - has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/i-think-many-people-have-this-sense-that-something-about-modern/) [Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) > [I'd lied many times: to bolster my credentials, to elicit sympathy, to make myself appear less ordinary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/i-d-lied-many-times-to-bolster-my-credentials-to-elicit-sympathy-to/) [Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) > [“He never bothered listening to sports; the bored him, every one of them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/he-never-bothered-listening-to-sports-the-bored-him-every-one-of-them/) [Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) > [Extraordinary things happen in solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/extraordinary-things-happen-in-solitude/) [Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) > [“Japanese researchers at Chiba University found that a daily fifteen-minute walk in the woods caused significant decreases in cortisol, along with a modest drop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/japanese-researchers-at-chiba-university-found-that-a-daily-fifteen-2/) [Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) > [My fight-or-flight mechanism... had served me well in Gaza, in Afghanistan, and all the places I'd been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/my-fight-or-flight-mechanism-had-served-me-well-in-gaza-in/) [Michael Finkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) [Explore all 87 Michael Finkel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Knight's disdain for Thoreau was bottomless - 'he had no deep insight into nature'...”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Finkel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/knight-s-disdain-for-thoreau-was-bottomless-he-had-no-deep-insight/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/knight-s-disdain-for-thoreau-was-bottomless-he-had-no-deep-insight/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/michael-finkel-7714_books_knight-s-disdain-for-thoreau-was-bottoml_2855381.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/michael-finkel-7714_books_knight-s-disdain-for-thoreau-was-bottoml_2855381.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dae/michael-finkel-7714_books_knight-s-disdain-for-thoreau-was-bottoml_2855381.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Knight's disdain for Thoreau was bottomless - 'he had no deep insight into nature'...” — Michael Finkel", "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": "Michael Finkel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-finkel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Knight's disdain for Thoreau was bottomless...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/knight-s-disdain-for-thoreau-was-bottomless-he-had-no-deep-insight/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-finkel/knight-s-disdain-for-thoreau-was-bottomless-he-had-no-deep-insight/#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 } } ] } ```