Walden

Thoreau, Walden - simplicity, rejection of societal expectations. The chapter on economy is delightfully technical.

on HN, 2022

If nothing else, gleaning the perspective of a man almost two hundred years ago and seeing both how different and how similar the issues regarding technology were, made me feel far less alone, and enlightened me toward ways I could make progress in feeling liberated from the ever-increasing grasp of technology on my life.

on HN, 2022

"Society is commonly too cheap. We meet at very short intervals, not having had time to acquire any new value for each other. We meet at meals three times a day, and give each other a new taste of that old musty cheese that we are. We have had to agree on a certain set of rules, called etiquette and politeness, to make this frequent meeting tolerable and that we need not come to open war. We meet at the post-office, and at the sociable, and about the fireside every night; we live thick and are in each other's way, and stumble over one another, and I think that we thus lose some respect for one another. Certainly less frequency would suffice for all important and hearty communications."

on HN, 2015

Walden is difficult to classify. It changed the way I look at things, but I can't say exactly how. Sometimes I encounter a situation and a quote or scene from the book pops up in my head. Highly recommended!

on HN, 2014

Essentialism, the disciplined pursuit of less and Walden - for understanding how "stuff" gets in the way of happiness

on HN, 2017

When I read it in college, it had such a profound effect on me, I belive it literally helped shape who I am as a person even to this day

on HN, 2019

I’ve been rereading it recently and realized a lot of insights and observations it has on living a simpler life are core beliefs I follow.

on HN, 2024