The Journal of Henry David Thoreau, 1837-1861

Henry David Thoreau

“We hear and apprehend only what we already half know.”

Thoreau on knowing vs. seeing and what it takes to receive reality as it really is:

A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers (Penguin Classics)

Henry David Thoreau

“The bird of paradise is obliged constantly to fly against the wind.”

Thoreau on the difference between an artisan, an artist, and a genius:

Where I Lived, and What I Lived For

Henry David Thoreau

“I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.”

Thoreau on what it means to live life fully awake:

The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help

Amanda Palmer

“You’re an artist when you say you are. And you’re a good artist when you make somebody else experience or feel something deep or unexpected.”

My conversation with kindred spirit Amanda Palmer on the art of asking and what Thoreau teaches us about accepting love:

Henry Builds a Cabin

D.B. Johnson

“Most men appear never to have considered what a house is, and are actually though needlessly poor all their lives because they think they must have such a one as their neighbors have.”

Lovely picture-book, based on this passage from Walden, presents Thoreau’s ideals of the simple life in enchanting illustrated for kids, brimming with timeless wisdom for all:

Henry Hikes to Fitchburg

D.B. Johnson

Absolutely wonderful illustrated children’s story about the philosophy of Henry David Thoreau, based on a famous passage from Walden and contrasting two different approaches to life — one prioritizing productivity and one worshiping wonder.