Q0078
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to…” — Henry David Thoreau (Walden)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Walden. Theme: nature.
English
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Walden and files it under Transcendentalism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862) was an American essayist, naturalist, and political dissenter of the Concord Transcendentalist circle. Walden (1854) recounts deliberate life at Walden Pond; “Civil Disobedience” justifies refusal of unjust tax.
How to read this passage
Nature may mean physical cosmos, living world, human nature, or a normative standard of what ought to be. Presocratics, Daoists, Stoics, and modern environmental thinkers share the word while disagreeing about its force. This passage enters that discussion through nature.
Concepts in this quote
- Nature
- Philosophy quotes about nature ask what the cosmos is, how humans belong in it, and whether “natural” can guide ethics or politics.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Henry David Thoreau. (n.d.). I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0078
MLA: Henry David Thoreau. “I went to the woods because I wished….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0078.
Chicago: Henry David Thoreau. “I went to the woods because I wished….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0078.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “I went to the woods because I wished…”?
The passage is attributed to Henry David Thoreau, Walden. The archive attributes this English wording to Walden and files it under Transcendentalism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Henry David Thoreau mean by nature?
Nature may mean physical cosmos, living world, human nature, or a normative standard of what ought to be. Presocratics, Daoists, Stoics, and modern environmental thinkers share the word while disagreeing about its force. This passage enters that discussion through nature.