It is this section of this challenging document that gives
rise to one of the most quoted sections of Thoreau's writings. Of course, this quote has
been used many times in a wide range of contexts, but for me the most memorable is Robin
Williams in the film The Dead Poets Society, where he uses the
writings and ideas of authors such as Thoreau to challenge and inspire the boys that he
teaches.
This is how Thoreau himself answers the questions
implied in the title of this section of
Walden:
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 practice
resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the
marrow of life...
Thoreau
therefore here declares that he lived in the woods. He chose to live there because he
needed to be close to Nature to get rid of all the distractions that society gives you
and, by implication, prevents you from living in a way that is "deliberate" and
"meaningful." This quote indicates the celebratory nature of the life Thoreau is trying
to live - he wants to live it to the absolute full and not hold back in his
living.
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