In wildness is the preservation of the world. — Henry David Thoreau · Smartyfair

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In wildness is the preservation of the world. — Henry David Thoreau · Smartyfair

In wildness is the preservation of the world.

Henry David Thoreau1817–1862 · writer · 1800s USAHenry David Thoreau was an American writer who spent two years living simply in a small cabin near Walden Pond, writing about nature, independence, and living deliberately.5 quotes

Source foundNature

In plain words

Wild places are what keep the world alive.

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Where these words come from

How sure this is: 95% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up: "Walking" (1862).
Sources checked: en.wikiquote.orgChecked using claude-sonnet-5, 20 August 2026Sourced to Walking, 1862
gutenberg.orgChecked using claude-fable-5, 21 August 2026'Walking' (1862) — 'in Wildness is the preservation of the World', primary essay text on Project Gutenberg

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If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.

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Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.

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Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!

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It is never too late to give up our prejudices.

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Clouds come floating into my life from other days no longer to shed rain or usher storm but to give colour to my sunset sky.

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The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

All art is but imitation of nature.

A violent wind does not outlast the morning; a squall of rain does not outlast the day. Such is the course of Nature.

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.