“A truly good book is something as natural, and as unexpectedly and unaccountably fair and perfect, as a wild-flower discovered on the prairies of the West or in the jungles of the East. Genius is a light which makes the darkness visible, like the lightning’s flash, which perchance shatters the temple of knowledge itself--and not a taper lighted at the hearthstone of the race, which pales before the light of common day.”

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About Henry David Thoreau

American transcendentalist writer and naturalist of the mid-19th century, Thoreau is best known for his philosophical essays and his two-year experiment in simple living at Walden Pond. His work bridges practical observation of nature with deep reflection on individualism, civil disobedience, and the importance of living deliberately.

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"A truly good book is something as natural, and as unexpectedly and un…" — Henry David Thoreau | Daily Quotes