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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
He’s self aware that his philosophy is very much alienating in the introductory pages, and his thoughts are narrow minded yet this book is just complaining that Americans are too lazy, if they can’t chop down a tree and make a chair out of it they should grow a pumpkin and use that as a stool… I’m not kidding that’s what he says in the book. I’ve never heard of someone using a pumpkin as a foot stool.
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
This is considered a classic, and so I went in with expectations. In many ways, it is a good read. His descriptions of the Walden pond are done with such tenderness and reverence towards nature that I longed to experience it myself. His attitude towards many things, including conservation, social equality, the exploitative nature of capitalism, was also far ahead of his times.
However, It was impossible for me to agree with his philosophy and his attitude towards work and towards technological innovations. He had a strong conviction that the only life worth living is the life of a meditative mind, and we should design our lives such that we devote as much time as possible to that, at the expense of all other activities that make our physical existence more bearable. There is a constant attempt to convince the reader that he, as a poet and a philosopher, is the ideal human being, and almost anyone else is living a worthless life. This persistent tone of self-superiority, at the expense of all "normal" humans, got rather tiring and a bit absurd.
His attitude towards all forms of human ingenuity and enterprise also sounds ill-conceived, and borderline Luddite. He is against the railway as superfluous and believes the rush is totally unnecessary. He dismisses the telegraph between Europe and America because he believes it can only carry trivial information because no one has anything worthwhile to say. Such statements only expose his inability to understand and accept that other people may have different aspirations, and perhaps others are also living a meaningful life of their minds.
However, It was impossible for me to agree with his philosophy and his attitude towards work and towards technological innovations. He had a strong conviction that the only life worth living is the life of a meditative mind, and we should design our lives such that we devote as much time as possible to that, at the expense of all other activities that make our physical existence more bearable. There is a constant attempt to convince the reader that he, as a poet and a philosopher, is the ideal human being, and almost anyone else is living a worthless life. This persistent tone of self-superiority, at the expense of all "normal" humans, got rather tiring and a bit absurd.
His attitude towards all forms of human ingenuity and enterprise also sounds ill-conceived, and borderline Luddite. He is against the railway as superfluous and believes the rush is totally unnecessary. He dismisses the telegraph between Europe and America because he believes it can only carry trivial information because no one has anything worthwhile to say. Such statements only expose his inability to understand and accept that other people may have different aspirations, and perhaps others are also living a meaningful life of their minds.
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
life changing…
reading this book is definitely something i consider an accomplishment and i’m very glad i can say that i have done it. i think this is because it’s not a book you can read passively. you have to dedicate your entire mind to each and every word. i think i understood about 85% of what he was putting across, i think due to the gaping generation gap between us and the fact that he’s a whole lot smarter than i am. i’m sure that in my life i will read it many more times, or at least the first half and conclusion.
i will say the last half isn’t as good as the first, but the conclusion picked it back up again. the biographical sketch by emerson was really beautiful and i did cry at the end. i can’t wait to read more of thoreaus work. i will keep this with at my bed like some do a bible, and it is far more deserving.
simplify, simplify, simplify. this is my main take away. as much as i would love to free myself from my possessions and my vices, i’m not sure i ever could. but i know i can subtract from my own viewpoint and perceptions of my life. i hope from now on i can stop looking for what’s missing and look upon what i have. there isn’t any reason to want for a shorter walk to campus or to be free of a long class, because i can walk and i can enjoy that time in my day if i simply choose to. every day is better than being dead, and i know that thoreau lived more in his short life than anyone else ever has.
“the fault-finder will find fault even in paradise. love your life”
reading this book is definitely something i consider an accomplishment and i’m very glad i can say that i have done it. i think this is because it’s not a book you can read passively. you have to dedicate your entire mind to each and every word. i think i understood about 85% of what he was putting across, i think due to the gaping generation gap between us and the fact that he’s a whole lot smarter than i am. i’m sure that in my life i will read it many more times, or at least the first half and conclusion.
i will say the last half isn’t as good as the first, but the conclusion picked it back up again. the biographical sketch by emerson was really beautiful and i did cry at the end. i can’t wait to read more of thoreaus work. i will keep this with at my bed like some do a bible, and it is far more deserving.
simplify, simplify, simplify. this is my main take away. as much as i would love to free myself from my possessions and my vices, i’m not sure i ever could. but i know i can subtract from my own viewpoint and perceptions of my life. i hope from now on i can stop looking for what’s missing and look upon what i have. there isn’t any reason to want for a shorter walk to campus or to be free of a long class, because i can walk and i can enjoy that time in my day if i simply choose to. every day is better than being dead, and i know that thoreau lived more in his short life than anyone else ever has.
“the fault-finder will find fault even in paradise. love your life”
Leuk sociaal experiment maar zelfs Paolo Cognetti lijkt in het voorwoord moeite te hebben enthousiast te zijn over dit boek.
Great memoir - love the description of the landscape and lifestyle. Makes me think about the difference between 'I want' and 'I need' and what it looks like to simplify.
challenging
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
I thought I'd like this more. Henry David Thoreau decided to take agency of his life and live more simply. There are themes of anti-consumerism and a more laissez-faire government. Like many classics the book is thick with details that make it possible for the reader to experience escapism. Maybe it's the language difference between the 1800s and today but he comes off as pretentious. But also the overall quality of life has improved and transitioning to a simple life as described would be more dramatic. While I do like his point of taking charge of one's own life, this barely held my attention.
reflective