Henry David Thoreau, (1817-1862) American author, poet, philosopher, polymath, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and transcendentalist Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Comment on this quote Share via Email Print this Page Henry David Thoreau Quote “I came into this world, not chiefly to make this a good place to live in, but to live in it, be it good or bad. ”Henry David Thoreau ~ Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American author, poet, philosopher, polymath, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and transcendentalistCivil Disobedience (1849) Freedom , Law , Slavery Ratings and Comments Reply Mike, Norwalk 4/1/11 We make of life what we will. Reply J Carlton, Calgary 4/1/11 I'm going to guess that Thoreau did not believe in "social engineering". Good on him! Reply jim k, Austin,Tx 4/1/11 Well said J and Mike. Reply E Archer, NYC 4/1/11 This probably makes the do-gooders scratch their heads. Aren't we supposed to be 'saving the world'? “ 'Save the trees, save the bees, save the whales, save those snails.' And the greatest arrogance of all: save the planet. What? Are these f@cking people kidding me? Save the planet, we don’t even know how to take care of ourselves yet. We haven’t learned how to care for one another, we’re gonna save the f@cking planet?" -- George Carlin Reply J Carlton, Calgary 4/1/11 Archer...thank you for that. Carlin is one of my all time favorites. Reply GunnyCee, Durham 4/1/11 What's even funnier are those who want to save the climate! WTF? The arrogance of these people is mind-blowing. They actually think that man has destroyed the climate and they are bound and determined to right that wrong. Talk about tilting at windmills. As for Henry David; he was not a realist, but an idealist. He was a square peg then, and he'd be one today. Of course, if we were all square pegs, then I suppose the world would have to adapt. SaveOk2 SaveOk2 View CommentsClick to view or comment. Share on Facebook Tweet Email Print This Henry David Thoreau quote is found in these categories: Freedom quotes Law quotes Slavery quotes About Henry David Thoreau Bio of Henry David Thoreau Quotations by Henry David Thoreau Books by/about Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau videos Henry David Thoreau on Wikipedia Astrological chart for Henry David Thoreau