Henry David Thoreau

Walden and Civil Disobedience Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau reflects on life, politics, and society in these two inspirational masterworks: Walden and Civil Disobedience. In 1845, Thoreau moved to a cabin that he built with his own hands in Massachusetts and pursued truth in the quiet of nature. In Walden, he explains how separating oneself from the world of men can truly awaken the sleeping self. Thoreau holds fast to the notion that you have not truly existed until you adopt such a lifestyle-and only then can you re-enter society, as an enlightened being. In Civil Disobedience his protest against the government's interference with civil liberty-have inspired many to embrace his philosophy of individualism and love of nature. More than a century and a half later, his message is more timely than ever before.