His purpose in doing this was to be able to gain wisdom and knowledge about life. He wanted to understand the very simplest elements of life. "To live deliberately" means to take care and thought about everything that you do in life, and not to do anything just for the heck of it. Everything that you do has purpose and meaning, and isn't a waste of time. Thoreau wanted to spend his time doing only things that would enrich his life and make him a better person--no silly, time-wasting, frivolous things, but things that mattered and enriched his soul. He wanted to "front only the essential facts of life," meaning, to excise any unnecessary stuff that clutters our lives. Get rid of anything that isn't necessary. And, he did that. He lived
