“O Prince, our eyes contemplate with admiration and transmit to the soul the wonderful and varied spectacle of this universe. The night veils without doubt a part of this glorious creation; but day comes to reveal to us this great work, which extends from earth even into the plains of the ether.”

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.