H. G. O. Blake
Published: 2019-01-21
Total Pages: 284
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"Thoreau himself regarded literature as altogether secondary to life, strange as this may seem to those who think of him as a hermit or dreamer, shunning what are commonly considered as among the most important practical realities, trade, politics, the church, the institutions of society generally.... Even in a philanthropic point of view, any superficial benefit he might confer by throwing himself into the current of society would be as nothing compared with the loss of real power and influence which would result from disobedience to his highest instincts. ...It was not sufficient for him to entertain and express as an author "subtle thoughts," but he aspired rather "so to love wisdom as to live, according to its dictates, a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity, and trust," .... It is the clear insight early creating a deep, persistent determination so to live, ... which gives value to Thoreau's work, though this insight itself may well be regarded as the highest form of genius...."