Men have become the tools of their tools.

—Henry David Thoreau

humanity power purpose tools distraction

About Henry David Thoreau

Portrait of Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau (born David Henry Thoreau; July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862) was an American naturalist essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading transcendentalist, he is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay "Civil Disobedience" (originally published as "Resistance...

More quotations from Henry David Thoreau

The heart is forever inexperienced.

—Henry David Thoreau

attention experience heart

I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance than I should have been by any epaulet I could have worn.

—Henry David Thoreau

gratitude nature honor divinity

If I devote myself to other pursuits and contemplations, I must first see, at least, that I do not pursue them sitting upon another man’s shoulders.

—Henry David Thoreau

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.

—Henry David Thoreau

confidence dreams

To a philosopher all news, as it is called, is gossip, and they who edit and read it are old women over their tea.

—Henry David Thoreau

news philosophy gossip

More quotations tagged with “tools”

Teachers are expected to reach unattainable goals with inadequate tools. The miracle is that at times they accomplish this impossible task.

learning teaching impossible tools support

I continue to get further away from the usual painter's tools such as easel, palette, brushes, etc.

—Jackson Pollock

art tools painting

If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.

—Abraham Maslow

perception tools

There is no other species on the Earth that does science. It is, so far, entirely a human invention, evolved by natural selection in the cerebral cortex for one simple reason: it works. It is not perfect. It can be misused. It is only a tool. But it is by far the best tool we have, self-correcting, ongoing, applicable to everything. It has two rules. First: there are no sacred truths; all assumptions must be critically examined; arguments from authority are worthless. Second: whatever is inconsistent with the facts must be discarded or revised. We must understand the Cosmos as it is and not confuse how it is with how we wish it to be.

—Carl Sagan in Cosmos

science earth tools brains

History

26 Apr 2014 Added