Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau was an American essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading transcendentalist, Thoreau is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay "Civil Disobedience", an argument for disobedience to an unjust state.
What does it mean to live a life of quiet desperation?
What does most men live lives of quiet desperation mean? Henry David Thoreau famously stated in Walden that “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” He thinks misplaced value is the cause: We feel a void in our lives, and we attempt to fill it with things like money, possessions, and accolades.
Do the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation?
Do the Mass of Men Lead "Lives of Quiet Desperation?" How a misunderstanding of a problematic saying can lead to harmful results. One of Henry David Thoreau's most frequently quoted sayings is "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." Many people have cited this sentence to me.
What does Thoreau mean by life of quiet desperation?
Henry David Thoreau famously stated in Walden that “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” He thinks misplaced value is the cause: We feel a void in our lives, and we attempt to fill it with things like money, possessions, and accolades. We think these things will make us happy. Click to see full answer.
Why don’t people let go of their desperation?
Yet once emphasizing desperation is romanticized as authentic, unconventional, and brave, people do not easily let go of their desperation, fearing that doing this might be interpreted as returning to phoniness. On the contrary, they try to perpetuate and even augment their desperation.
What does quiet desperation mean?
Quiet desperation is acceptance of–and surrendering to–circumstances. Quietly desperate lives are frustrated, passive, and apathetic. They're unfulfilled and unrealized.Apr 2, 2009
What does Thoreau's quote mean the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them?
“… and go to the grave with the song still in them.” The sad truth is that people want more and want to make more of themselves, but because they lack passion in their lives they settle for a life of mediocrity and status quo.Jan 27, 2012
How do I stop living a life of quiet desperation?
How to Overcome a Life of Quiet DesperationStop Putting Yourself Down.Don't Allow Fear to Destroy Your Dreams.Invest in Yourself.Jul 7, 2020
WHO said most men lead lives of quiet desperation going to their grave with their song still in them?
Henry David ThoreauSep 1 "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them." -- Henry David Thoreau.Sep 1, 2011
Who said quiet desperation?
Henry David Thoreau'sOne of Henry David Thoreau's most frequently quoted sayings is "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." Many people have cited this sentence to me.Jun 20, 2018
What according to Thoreau The mass of men lead?
While Henry David Thoreau is often credited with variations of the aphorism “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and die with their song still inside them,” that is not what he wrote in “Walden.” He merely said, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” (Or to quote another Thoreau aphorism: “You must ...Apr 30, 2012
Do men lead lives of quiet desperation?
“Most men lead lives of quiet desperation,” he wrote in Walden in 1854. Thoreau's writing—a reflection on human nature's tendency to reside in a “quiet desperation”—helped me to pinpoint my own misgivings about my professional path.Jul 17, 2020
What does Thoreau think about railroads?
Although Thoreau was not diametrically opposed to the railroad, he lived before the great growth of the railroads and the large environmental impacts. Still, he criticized it for being a false notion of progress that depleted the body and mind of the individual.Aug 9, 2019
Do you have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats?
From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for this comes after work.
What does Thoreau mean by saying we do not ride on the railroad it rides upon us?
We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us.” In this, Thoreau discusses where he feels the Natural world needs the industrial, saying that we build the railroads to see our nations natural beauties but in doing so we destroy it.Feb 19, 2013
Did Thoreau ever marry?
Thoreau never married and was childless. In 1840, he proposed to eighteen-year old Ellen Sewall, but she refused him, on the advice of her father. He strove to portray himself as an ascetic puritan.
Quote by Henry David Thoreau: “The mass of men lead lives of quiet ...
“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats.
What does Thoreau's quote mean: 'The mass of men lead lives of quiet ...
Answer (1 of 17): > “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious despair is conc...
What does Thoreau mean by "quiet desperation"? - eNotes.com
In Walden, by "quiet desperation" Thoreau means the suffering of people who lead shallow, inauthentic lives dominated by competition for wealth, success, or the struggle for survival.Thoreau ...
How to REALLY Avoid Living a Life of Quiet Desperation
The above is another of Thoreau’s most famous quotes. And another where the kernel of its meaning is often missed. To suck the marrow out of life often conjures up an image of outwardly epic strivings — far-flung adventures and extravagant endeavors of great daring-do.. Yet the marrow of a bone is what is within it — the life inside the external structure of things.
TOP 25 QUIET DESPERATION QUOTES | A-Z Quotes
I do believe that most men live lives of quiet desperation. For despair, optimism is the only practical solution. Hope is practical. Because eliminate that and it's pretty scary.
What is a quiet desperate life?
Quiet desperate lives are routine and emotionless, moreover, a life of misplaced values will lead to unhappiness.
What is the meaning of the quote "The Mass of Men Lead Lives of Quiet Desperation"?
Henry David Thoreau’s quote “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation” was an observation that most people live an empty life caused by unfulfilling work, lack of leisure time and misplaced values; money, possessions and accolades. Thoreau claims the value we attach to possessions, money and status is wrong. Quiet desperate lives are routine and emotionless, moreover, a life of misplaced values will lead to unhappiness.
What does "escape my life of quiet desperation" mean?
Escaping my life of quiet desperation involves throwing caution against the wind. No one wants to take the deathbed test and have regrets but the reality is we all do unless we are prepared to take risks.
What was Thoreau's aim in life?
The aim is to live a meaningful life . Thoreau believed we only need meagre comforts in life and he practised this by moving to Walden Pond. Living by a pond is probably extreme, however, I have too much stuff and life is too comfortable (quiet). Read more books and travel to generate ideas and life an interesting life.
Is it risky to be out of your comfort zone?
And by “risks” it’s obviously nothing life threatening, but by modern standards, anything that takes us out of our comfort zone is considered “risky”. I need to escape my safe, well-paid job and do something completely different. Otherwise my quiet life will go unresolved.
Who said we are not all - to some degree - leading lives of quiet desperation?
Submitted by Jim Bastian on September 10, 2019 - 8:19am. Anyone who thinks we are not all - to some degree - leading lives of quiet desperation, does not understand the human condition or is speaking out of some watered down and partially blind pop-psychology or cognitive-behavioral psychology.
What does Thoreau say about the mass of men?
One question that comes to mind is how Thoreau knows that "the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.". Many people's non-desperate demeanor may be the result of a real, genuine, contentment in life. Other people's non-desperate demeanor may only be a cover-up of their silent desperation. Thoreau asserts that the mass of people are ...
What does Thoreau say about solitude?
Among many other things, the book advocates solitude, self-reliance, contemplation, proximity to nature, and renouncing luxuries as means of overcoming human emotional and cultural difficulties. Thus, Thoreau in fact suggests in the book that people can stop leading lives of desperation and can improve their condition.
What is Henry David Thoreau's most famous quote?
One of Henry David Thoreau's most frequently quoted sayings is "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.". Many people have cited this sentence to me. To my surprise, they have always referred to it approvingly, as a correct and insightful claim that expresses their own view. It is also commonly mentioned in written form; as well, ...
Did Thoreau want to use "life in the woods"?
On the contrary, they try to perpetuate and even augment their desperation. Thoreau himself probably did not want this sentence, which appears in the first chapter of his celebrated book Walden; or, Life in the Woods to be taken out of its context and be understood so pessimistically.
Is desperation the same as depression?
I have some difficulties with this claim. Many of those who cited it to me themselves felt quite desperate or depressed. (Although desperation and depressionare not the same I refer here to them both and will use the terms interchangeably in this post.) It seemed to me that many of my interlocutors could have significantly diminished or gotten rid of their desperation, but that this claim decreased their readiness to take the means needed to do so. It did so in various ways.
Who wrote "Most people are happy"?
Ed Diener and Carol Diener, "Most People Are Happy," Psychological Science7 (1996): pp. 181–185.
Who said the mass of men live lives?
The aphorism is a paraphrase of what Henry David Thoreau famously wrote in Walden (the actual quote begins “The mass of men live lives…”).
What is the problem with the desire for externalities?
Desperation, Thoreau thought, came from having too many wants. The problem with the desire for externalities is that they ever multiply and never reach an end; the fulfillment of one merely begets the itch for another. This puts men on what modern scientists call the “hedonic treadmill”; once you make more money, or get a new possession, or reach a goal, it at first makes you happier, but then you adapt to the new circumstances. You’ve risen a level, but so have your expectations, so that your happiness falls right back to where it was in the first place. You then seek for another “hit” of pleasure, only to become similarly desensitized to it. And on the cycle goes; you always seem to be running after something, but you’re really just running in place, stuck in a hamster wheel of desire. Social theorist Gregg Easterbrook astutely calls this process of getting what we want, but never feeling like we have enough, “abundance denial.”
Why did Thoreau want to travel?
Tolkien, Thoreau had scant desire for traditional, outward travel, because the richness of his inner life provided a landscape for inexhaustibly interesting explorations . The voyages of self-discovery and self-conquest, he thought, were the most interesting journeys a man could take, and he thus defined “travel” and discovering new lands as those times in which you “think new thoughts, and have new imaginings. In the spaces of thought are the reaches of land and water over which men go and come.” As he further explained, “for I measure distance inward and not outward. Within the compass of a man’s ribs there is space and scene enough for any biography.”
Why did Thoreau walk?
Beginning from when he was in college, and continuing throughout his life, Thoreau required a long walk in nature each day to maintain his physical and emotional equilibrium. While he often took these walks along familiar routes, they remained perennially fresh. Thoreau not only went out equipped, as Emerson notes, with “an old music book to press plants” under his arm and “in his pocket, his diary and pencil, a spy glass for birds, microscope, jack-knife and twine,” he always brought his highly alert, fully awake senses along too. Through them he became acutely attentive to the environment, able to take in everything around him, and notice details the other citizens of Concord, Massachusetts missed.
What was Thoreau's aim?
His aim was to know himself, and to preserve this self sovereign in the face of the pressure to conform to deadening conventionalities.
How did Thoreau find his surroundings?
Thoreau’s ability to find his “ordinary” surroundings perpetually interesting was driven by the fact that he was, as a friend put it, “alive from top to toe with curiosity.” He mind was ever set to “discovery,” and he perpetually sought to find worlds within worlds — realms that only revealed themselves to the patient and persistent. For example, when he realized that the frogs which initially scattered when approaching a pond would reappear if he quietly waited long enough, he fairly camped out on its shores to observe more about their behavior. A neighbor recalled the scene with utter befuddlement:
Why didn't Thoreau's adventures have to be grand to be satisfying?
Thoreau’s adventures didn’t have to be grand to be satisfying because their power derived from their symbolic quality. They stood for something bigger and generated meaning over and beyond their actual parts.