"It is not that we love to..." - Quote by Henry David Thoreau
It is not that we love to be alone, but that we love to soar, and when we do soar, the company grows thinner and thinner until there is none at all. …We are not the less to aim at the summits though the multitude does not ascend them.
More by Henry David Thoreau
“Maturity is when all of your mirrors turn into windows.”
“The great poem must have the stamp of greatness as well as its essence.”
“It is a momentous fact that a man may be good, or he may be bad; his life may be true, or it may be false; it may be either a shame or a glory to him. The good man builds himself up; the bad man destroys himself.”
More on Solitude
“All the unhappiness of men arises from one single fact, that they cannot stay quietly in their own chamber.”
“There is in the world only the choice between loneliness and vulgarity. All young people should be taught now to put up with loneliness ... because the less man is compelled to come into contact with others, the better off he is.”
“I am not only retired from all public employments, but I am retiring within myself, and shall be able to view the solitary walk and tread the paths of private life with heartfelt satisfaction.”
More on Ambition
“Actually, all I ever wanted to be was the best in my field.”
“Instead of being concerned that you have no office, be concerned to think how you may fit yourself for office. Instead of being concerned that you are not known, seek to be worthy of being known.”
“He who does not expect a million readers should not write a line.”