Henry David Thoreau Quotes About Honesty

• Be true to your work, your word, and your friend.

  Henry David Thoreau

  Motivational, Friendship, Nature

  Henry David Thoreau (2015). “Thoreau on Nature: Sage Words on Finding Harmony with the Natural World”, p.15, Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.

• Say what you have to say, not what you ought. Any truth is better than make-believe.

  Henry David Thoreau

  Truth, Honesty, Believe

  Henry David Thoreau, Nancy L. Rosenblum (1996). “Thoreau: Political Writings”, p.97, Cambridge University Press

• Absolutely speaking, Do unto others as you would that they should do unto you is by no means a golden rule, but the best of current silver. An honest man would have but little occasion for it. It is golden not to have any rule at all in such a case.

  Henry David Thoreau

  Honesty, Mean, Men

  Henry David Thoreau (2014). “A Week On The Concord And Merrimack Rivers (Annotated Edition)”, p.60, Jazzybee Verlag

• Thus the State never intentionally confronts a man's sense, intellectual or moral, but only his body, his senses. It is not armed with superior wit or honesty, but with superior physical strength. I was not born to be forced. I will breathe after my own fashion.

  Henry David Thoreau

  Fashion, Honesty, Men

  Henry David Thoreau (2013). “The Selected Essays of Henry David Thoreau”, p.108, Simon and Schuster

• I often accuse my finest acquaintances of an immense frivolity; for, while there are manners and compliments we do not meet, we donot teach one another the lessons of honesty and sincerity that the brutes do, or of steadiness and solidity that the rocks do. The fault is commonly mutual; however, for we do not habitually demand any more of each other.

  Henry David Thoreau

  Friendship, Honesty, Character

• A man cannot wheedle nor overawe his Genius. It requires to be conciliated by nobler conduct than the world demands or can appreciate.

  Henry David Thoreau

  Honesty, Integrity, Men

  Henry David Thoreau (2013). “The Essential Thoreau”, p.688, Simon and Schuster

• I sometimes despair of getting anything quite simple and honest done in this world by the help of men. They would have to be passed through a powerful press first, to squeeze their old notions out of them, so that they would not soon get upon their legs again.

  Henry David Thoreau

  Honesty, Powerful, Simple

  Henry David Thoreau (1882). “Walden”, p.42

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