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Meaning
This reads as a comment on human denial, or at least on the stories people tell themselves about their bodies and limits. Thoreau points to a mismatch between lived experience, where illness and vulnerability are common, and the comforting belief that health is the normal state. It lands when someone assumes they can ignore strain indefinitely, until the body reminds them otherwise.
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Originally said in English.
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About Henry David Thoreau
American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher
Henry David Thoreau was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. He is closely associated with the transcendentalist movement and is best known for Walden and for his essay "Civil Disobedience". Walden reflects on simple living in natural surroundings. "Civil Disobedience" argues that citizens may resist an unjust state. Thoreau's writing often returns to independence, conscience, and a close attention to nature.
More from Henry David Thoreau (404 quotes) →Other sayings from Henry David Thoreau
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Reflections: more sayings
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READ THE SOURCE
Books by Henry David Thoreau
Walden
On living deliberately.