A Verse of Henry David Thoreau

[kell]

I went to the woods to live deliberately.
I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life.
To put to rout all that was not life and not,
when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.



This is one memorable verse that I even memorized by heart because it speaks to me that I should live one day at a time. If there is a good opportunity or moment, I should seize it. Strike while the iron is still hot. CARPE DIEM!

[dead_lift]

hmmm. i disagree

[Maria_maria]

Thoreau wrote this because he no longer wanted to live within society. He actually blamed society for its own ills and decided to go into the woods and live by Walden Pond. In fact, the title of the book where this came from is "Walden."

The quote by kell was an extract made popular in the movie, "Dead Poets' Society." It will forever be one of my favorite movies as it served as my inspiration when I was a student in high school, college, graduate school, and now that I'm an educator. The following is the complete and original writing by Thoreau:

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan- like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion. For most men, it appears to me, are in a strange uncertainty about it, whether it is of the devil or of God, and have somewhat hastily concluded that it is the chief end of man here to "glorify God and enjoy him forever."

[gAn]

Maria_maria, thanks for providing the background and the complete quote! It made me appreciate more what kell has shared with us.

kell, I agree with you...CARPE DIEM! I've lost several opportunities in the past because I failed to seize them.