Paul Valéry vs. Henry David Thoreau
Side-by-side comparison of two thinkers
Paul Valéry
1871 – 1945
Ambroise Paul Toussaint Jules Valéry was a French poet, essayist, and philosopher. In addition to his poetry and fiction, his interests included aphorisms on art, history, letters, music, and current events.
"It is therefore reasonable to think that the creations of man are made either with a view to his body, and that is the principle we call utility, or with a view…"
Henry David Thoreau
1817 – 1862
Henry David Thoreau was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading transcendentalist, he is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay "Civil Disobedience", an argument in favor of citizen disobedience against an unjust state.
"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the desperate country,…"
Connections
Both wrote about: