Henry David Thoreau's Many Men Go Fishing All Of Their Life

I want to be able to do what I want and be able to enjoy myself. You have to put yourself first because others won’t do so.

Thoreau argues that many are incapable of achieving that goal because they live in a world full of details that takes focus away from living life. Moreover, we have so much on our plates, that it takes time away from reflecting on the personal self. Throughout the excerpt, Thoreau uses metaphors to approach the obstacles faced when living life in a world where everything must be done. Thoreau states that the competition for resources create a world where we are often cruel and compete with one another. In order to achieve the goal of living life fully, Thoreau proposes solutions that allow us to find our true purpose, take inconsideration nature and

In The Time Keeper, I found this quote sticking to the characters’ lives, too. Dor, Sarah and Victor all wanted something more than what they had. Dor wanted to find time, Sarah wanted Ethan to be her boyfriend so bad that her mind completely switched off, and Victor wanted to live another life so bad that he didn’t even care about

“...soon enough to forget them when we have the learning and the genius which will enable us to attend to and appreciate them” (Thoreau, “Reading,” Par. 6). When focusing on something, we sometimes have the tendency to forget what happiness truly means to us. Some people focus too much on one certain thing and expect to have the true happiness we have been searching for. Thoreau’s proven point was to help the reader understand that taking new challenges is okay and it can helps us become happier and wiser. Happiness comes in all sorts of different ways and with the knowledge that we get whether it comes from books or nature, Thoreau knew that challenging oneself would help one reach the happiness they are searching for.

Thoreau’s point in this is that man should go beyond conscious purpose, moral instinct, and spontaneous freedom. He suggests, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.” The drummer mentioned in this quote is symbolic for ones’ intuition. The

The true meaning of life. What, exactly, can objectively define a life well lived? Henry David Thoreau, a unique and prosperous man with the dedication to reject societal norms he disagreed with, believed his life of simplicity was the answer. His actions led to a life of content happiness, and he is seemingly worshipped for his literature concerning these actions. While he clearly knew how to make himself at peace, Thoreau has proven himself downright atrocious at convincing others to do the same. His allusions, which according to many literary experts are one of his writings’ most prominent features, often are convoluted and irrelevant. In some cases, his usage of rhetoric is actually counterproductive, instantly turning off the audience to his thoughts and ideals. Thoreau, through his use of forced rhetorical

It is natural for a person to focus their goals on what will provide happiness. People do not focus on being poor for instance but it does not mean that being rich provides complete happiness.

I remember growing up people always looked at me and asked, “Breanna, what do you want to be when you grow up?” and always my answer was “A veterinarian.” Starting at a young age society embeds in our brains the notion that when we grow up the only way to be happy is to have nice things. We are taught that to be happy we have to have a lot, a nice house, prestigious job and an amazing marriage. I have never heard someone ask a young child “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and they respond with “Happy”. Even as a young person there is a constant pressure to do well in school and go to college so one day we can achieve this elusive thing known as “having it all”. What society fails to instill in young minds is that you don’t need material things to be happy, and happiness is not the same for everyone.

Henry David Thoreau conveys in his quote that we often think what makes us happy will always work out for us, and we often look into the wrong places. Thoreau’s aphorism simply expresses that true happiness is reached by not what we like, but what will benefit us the most. This can be applied into modern society, my personal experience, observation, and the reading of Innocent voices will express the use of this aphorism. Falling in love and relationships are cases where Thoreau’s aphorism is played in society. People often listen to others instead of themselves.

In the article “The Fun of Chasing a Goal” by Douglas Fairbanks Jr. the writer talks about his belief that self-determination will lead to personal success. The author believes having a positive mindset will lead to happiness. The writer states “What matters more to me, is the fun in doing, in the attempt to achieve, more than the achievement itself” (Fairbanks Jr.). A person’s ability to change their perspective towards what success means is very important to finding self-satisfaction.

Essentially, seeking happiness is necessary in life. We often hope to find happiness from other people, other things around us and forget that we can create it by ourselves. The novel “The happiness project” by Gretchen Rubin is sufficient evidence. The author states, “I am happy – but I’m not as happy as I should be.”(13) Then she started a project within a year to change her life and seek for a happier life. By making a list of things she has to do in the next twelve months, the author have done many things which affects her “Vitality” (1), her “Marriage” (38), her “Leisure” (112), her “Friendship” (141),etc. positively so that she can achieve her goal, which is a life full filed of happiness as she dreamed before. We can also do that. We know that if everyone of us set a goal and live purposely, we are all happy. However, we can be happier if we know how to change ourselves on the right way. We can make ourselves happy by doing simple things in our everyday life.

In my life I would rather have my needs taking care of first than my wants, just

Those who are young with energy and risk takers, revel in a hearty chase. This so happens to occur in human nature, something unreachable seemingly captivate our attention, and in turn shadows us even more to grab at it. I know what we saw in each other in those numbered days. A sudden exhilaration for the opposite, with each passing day, we grew more intrigued by each other's mere presence and actions. Fishing was a trigger of our emotions, a connection surpassing physical attention, or mental attention. It was a unification of two souls borne from one

The desire to be successful and happy naturally exists in all people. Success is often associated with the acquisition of wealth and material goods. When an individual feels that money and goods will bring them happiness in their lives, they will become more and more determined to

It is human nature to want and desire certain things out of life. For the most part, people want the same things. No one is the same as anyone else but we all share the fact that we want to make our lives as good as we possibly can. There are many ways to achieve happiness and everything that is wanted out of life can make you happy. Whatever a person’s truest desire may be, if they obtain that desire they obtain happiness. All that is desired falls under “What will make you happy in life?” We long to be happy, but what gets us there?