Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.

More quotes by Henry David Thoreau

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"What I began by reading, I must finish by acting."

- Henry David Thoreau

Courage

"Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it."

- Henry David Thoreau

Success

"The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought and attended to my answer."

- Henry David Thoreau

Respect

"As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives."

- Henry David Thoreau

Mindfulness

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."

- Henry David Thoreau

Ambition

More Insight Quotes

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"We cannot solve problems with the kind of thinking we employed when we came up with them."

- Albert Einstein

Insight

"Vision is not what your eyes see, but an image that your brain comprehends."

- Touko Aozaki

Insight

"The difference between genius and stupidity is; genius has its limits."

- Albert Einstein

Insight

"Someone asked me, if I were stranded on a desert island what book would I bring: ‘How to Build a Boat.’"

- Steven Wright

Insight

"The shell of an oyster only hides the pearl inside."

- Jack

Insight