How we cite our quotes: (Essay.Paragraph)
Quote #1
I had this advantage, at least, in my mode of life, over those who were obliged to look abroad for amusement, to society and the theater, that my life itself was become my amusement and never ceased to be novel. (Sounds.3)
Who needs Perez Hilton? Thoreau is his own best entertainment.
Quote #2
I am no more lonely than a single mullein or dandelion in a pasture, or a bean leaf, or sorrel, or a horse-fly, or a bumble-bee. (Solitude.15)
Thoreau doesn't feel alone in nature. He's as much a part of its world as a leaf or a flower.
Quote #3
Not till we are lost, in other words, not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves, and realize where we are and the infinite extent of our relations. (Village.2)
Our author feels that he has to abandon "the world," including human society, in order to discover himself. Do you agree? Can we find ourselves without abandoning everything else?
Quote #4
If, by living thus reserved and austere, like a hermit in the woods, so long, it has acquired such wonderful purity, who would not regret that the comparatively impure waters of Flint's Pond should be mingled with it, or itself should ever go to waste its sweetness in the ocean wave? (Ponds.27)
Thoreau describes Walden Pond itself as a kind of hermit, setting up an analogy between himself and its pure waters – very clever.
Quote #5
House, … $28.12 ½
Farm one year, …$14.72 ½
Food eight months, … $8.74
Clothing, &c., eight months … $8.40 ¾
Oil, &c., eight months, … $2.00
In all,….$61.99 ¾ (Economy.50)
This meticulous account of Thoreau's expenses shows us how much (or how little) it costs to live alone. That reminds us, we've been meaning to come up with a personal budget.
Quote #6
I was as near being resolved into the essence of things as ever I was in my life. I fear my thoughts will not come back to me […] There never is but one opportunity of a kind. (Brute Neighbors.5)
These are the words of the hermit in a dialogue with the poet at the start of Chapter 2. The Hermit comes across as a silly man, easily distracted from the "essence of things" by a fishing trip. Could this be a reminder, perhaps, never to take yourself too seriously?
Quote #7
Nowadays the host does not admit you to his hearth, but has got the mason to build one for yourself somewhere in his alley, and hospitality is the art of keeping you at the greatest distance. (House-Warming.7)
Thoreau thinks the loneliest people are those immersed in society. That big house isn't a sign of prosperity; instead, it's built to keep the guests at a distance from the host. Thoreau would have probably enjoyed Apples to Apples or Cranium – anything to keep the party interactions going strong.
Quote #8
For human society I was obliged to conjure up the former occupants of these woods. (Former Inhabitants.1)
Thoreau is at his most alone in the winter (and not only because he doesn't have snow tires to get anywhere). This gives him a chance to ruminate on the other past inhabitants of the area