None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Disobedience is essential for true freedom, while blind obedience leads to enslavement.
Henry David Thoreau's quote emphasizes the idea that true liberty arises from disobedience to unjust laws and norms. In his view, those who blindly obey authorities are not exercising their freedom but rather submitting to a form of mental and moral slavery, thus losing their autonomy and ability to think critically about their lives and society.
Themes
DisobedienceLibertyObedienceFreedomSlavery
In practice
Example use cases
This quote is perfect for a speech on civil rights movements.
More from Henry David Thoreau
All quotes βThrough want of enterprise and faith men are where they are, buying and selling and spending their lives like servants.
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Have no mean hours, but be grateful for every hour, and accept what it brings. The reality will make any sincere record respectable.
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As every season seems best to us in its turn, so the coming in of spring is like the creation of Cosmos out of Chaos and the realization of the Golden Age.
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That grand old poem called Winter
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