Henry David Thoreau Quotes About Mercy

• Even voting for the right is doing nothing for it. It is only expressing to men feebly your desire that it should prevail. A wise man will not leave the right to the mercy of chance, nor wish it to prevail through the power of the majority. There is but little virtue in the action of masses of men.

  Henry David Thoreau

  Wise, Men, Voting

  Henry David Thoreau (1942). “Civil Disobedience”, p.6, Hayes Barton Press

• Nature has left nothing to the mercy of man.

  Henry David Thoreau

  Nature, Men, Mercy

  Henry David Thoreau, Jeffrey S. Cramer (2007). “I to Myself: An Annotated Selection from the Journal of Henry D. Thoreau”, p.455, Yale University Press

• A wise man will not leave the right to the mercy of chance, nor wish it to prevail through the power of the majority. There is but little virtue in the action of masses of men. When the majority shall at length vote for the abolition of slavery, it will be because they are indifferent to slavery, or because there is but little slavery left to be abolished by their vote. They will then be the only slaves. Only his vote can hasten the abolition of slavery who asserts his own freedom by his vote.

  Henry David Thoreau

  Wise, Wisdom, Men

  Henry David Thoreau (1942). “Civil Disobedience”, p.6, Hayes Barton Press

• A wise man will not leave the right to the mercy of chance, nor wish it to prevail through the power of the majority.

  Henry David Thoreau

  Wise, Men, Wish

  Henry David Thoreau (1942). “Civil Disobedience”, p.6, Hayes Barton Press

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