“Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence”-Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau expressed the philosophy of Transcendentalism, or reliance on one’s own thoughts and theories rather than conforming to the widely excepted opinion. To have self-reliance, one must be confident with his or her personal evaluations and be connected with nature in order to hold an untainted understanding of the world around him or her. Henry David Thoreau was a leading Transcendentalist famous for writing Walden and “Resistance to Civil Government”. He learned about Transcendentalism in the 1800s through German philosophers during his time at Harvard. Thoreau’s work affected political leaders and activists, including Martin
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He wrote “I learned this, at least, by my experiment: That if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live a life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours”. Thoreau believes confidence can help accomplish one’s goal quicker than expected. Martin Luther King Jr. used this idea as a base for the speeches he made addressing the country. They attracted thousands of people who agreed with his main goal of racial equality. King’s most famous “Dream” speech summed up his confidence in his words and in the United States’ ability to change, “I have a dream that my four little chi1dren will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”. These lines proved he knew that his self-confidence in his speeches would be powerful enough to bring change sooner than expected. Furthermore, King took risks every time he addressed the nation because of the threats racists gave him; however, he remained undaunted and effectively made a grand step towards racial equality for Americans. Under the influence of Thoreau’s ideas, Martin Luther King Jr. continued on to become one of the greatest civil rights’ activists in American
He wrote “I learned this, at least, by my experiment: That if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live a life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours”. Thoreau believes confidence can help accomplish one’s goal quicker than expected. Martin Luther King Jr. used this idea as a base for the speeches he made addressing the country. They attracted thousands of people who agreed with his main goal of racial equality. King’s most famous “Dream” speech summed up his confidence in his words and in the United States’ ability to change, “I have a dream that my four little chi1dren will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”. These lines proved he knew that his self-confidence in his speeches would be powerful enough to bring change sooner than expected. Furthermore, King took risks every time he addressed the nation because of the threats racists gave him; however, he remained undaunted and effectively made a grand step towards racial equality for Americans. Under the influence of Thoreau’s ideas, Martin Luther King Jr. continued on to become one of the greatest civil rights’ activists in American