Henry David Thoreau: “Rather than love,…”

Source and attribution

The archive attributes this English wording to Walden, Conclusion 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

Correspondence, coherence, pragmatist, and deflationary theories compete. Ethics and politics ask who gets to define truth in public life. This passage enters that discussion through truth.

Concepts in this quote

Truth: Truth is among philosophy’s oldest problems: what it is for a claim to be true, and how truth relates to belief, language, and power.

How to cite this quotation

APA: Henry David Thoreau. (n.d.). Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0343

MLA: Henry David Thoreau. “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0343.

Chicago: Henry David Thoreau. “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0343.

Frequently asked questions

What is the source of the quotation “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give…”?

The passage is attributed to Henry David Thoreau, Walden, Conclusion. The archive attributes this English wording to Walden, Conclusion 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 truth?