“Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life so. Aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something.” — Henry David Thoreau · Letter to Harrison Blake, 1848
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately.” — Henry David Thoreau · Walden, 1854; recited by the Dead Poets Society club
“It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?” — Henry David Thoreau · Letter, 1857
“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.” — Henry David Thoreau · Journal, 1859
“One must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the middle of winter.” — Henry David Thoreau · Journal, January 1852
“I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.” — Henry David Thoreau · Walden, 1854