"Seen from a lower point of view,..." - Quote by Henry David Thoreau

Seen from a lower point of view, the Constitution, with all its faults, is very good; the law and the courts are very respectable;even this State and this American government are, in many respects, very admirable, and rare things, to be thankful for, such as a great many have described them; but seen from a point of view a little higher, they are what I have described them; seen from a higher still, and the highest, who shall say what they are, or that they are worth looking at or thinking of at all?
Image for the quote by Henry David Thoreau: Seen from a lower point of view, the Constitution, with all its faults, is very good; the law and th...

More by Henry David Thoreau

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms.”
— Henry David Thoreau
“Though the words Canada East on the map stretch over many rivers and lakes and unexplored wildernesses, the actual Canada, which might be the colored portion of the map, is but a little clearing on the banks of the river, which one of those syllables would more than cover.”
— Henry David Thoreau
“They take great pride in making their dinner cost much; I take my pride in making my dinner cost so little.”
— Henry David Thoreau

More on Government

“When you start talking about government as 'we' instead of 'they,' you have been in office too long.”
— Ronald Reagan
“Every man wishes to pursue his occupation and to enjoy the fruits of his labours and the produce of his property in peace and safety, and with the least possible expense. When these things are accomplished, all the objects for which government ought to be established are answered.”
— Thomas Jefferson
“America cannot have an empire abroad and a Republic at home.”
— Mark Twain

More on Perspective

“You can either feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift...You get to choose”
— Wayne Dyer
“Night is the other half of life, and the better half.”
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“So smile when you read a headline that says "Investors lose as market falls." Edit it in your mind to "Disinvestors lose as market falls-but investors gain." Though writers often forget this truism, there is a buyer for every seller and what hurts one necessarily helps the other. (As they say in golf matches: "Every putt makes someone happy.")”
— Warren Buffett