Walden
And Other Writings
by Henry David Thoreau · first published 1854
38% recommend57% neutral5% critical
Why HN recommends it
Reflective account of simple living and deliberately cutting what doesn't matter, suited to readers weighing frugality, meaning and escape from corporate routine; fans say it shifted how they see a free life.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Walden first published in 1854 as Walden; or, Life in the Woods) is a book by American transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau. The text is a reflection upon the author's simple living in natural surroundings. The work is part personal declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, satire, and—to some degree—a manual for self-reliance. Walden details Thoreau's experiences over the course of two years, two months, and two days in a cabin he built near Walden Pond amidst woodland owned by his friend and mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson, near Concord, Massachuset
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The OP would do well to read "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau or, perhaps more pointedly, read up on the teachings of Epicurus[1]. And, more generally, I highly recommend "The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work" by Alain De Botton. And then there's…
on “The lost world of physicality” ↗I love Walden, and whenever I'm stuck in yet another time sucking corporate meeting I dream of going off, building my own cabin, and living alone for a bit (see this cautionary tale, though: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_wild).…
on “Walden, by Henry David Thoreau” ↗…skateboard, meet girls and even had enough leftover to buy myself a new Macbook Pro. Plus it was a fun and social job. You could live on even less if you were determined, for inspiration on frugal living read Walden by Henry David Thoreau. Priorities change though - right now I suppose I 'work' about 10 hours a day, six days a week. This is because I decided I was going to learn to code and got motivated and driven…
on “Why is everyone so busy?” ↗Walden by Thoreau Not mind blowing in that there was any startling revelations in it, rather that reading and absorbing it changed my outlook on many things.
on “Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?” ↗…Hume, "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman, "The Law" by Frédéric Bastiat, "Autobiography" by Benjamin Franklin, "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine, "Gespräche mit Goethe" by Johann Peter Eckermann, "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau, "The Old Regime and the Revolution" Alexis de Tocqueville, "On Liberty" by John Stuart Mill, "A Treatise on Political Economy" by Jean-Baptiste Say, "The Man Versus the State"…
on “Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?” ↗Yes! This book also got me to read Walden by Henry David Thoreau, which was also life changing. I never fully understood what Pirsig meant by Quality though. I could not understand what it really was, but I didn’t need to. I got so much good…
on “Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?” ↗I can't belive nobody has mentioned "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau. To be fair, I'm not a big recreational reader. But this one will always stick out to me. When I read it in college, it had such a profound effect on me, I belive it literally…
on “Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?” ↗The book Walden by Henry David Thoreau would be a nice read for anyone interested in additional experiences from this article. I wanted to start gardening at a local club, but due to the situation it has been hard to…
on “I Got My Attention Back (2017)” ↗Walden - Thoreau Meditations - Aurelius Simply existing can be exhilarating.
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life?” ↗Walden, by Henry David Thoreau One of the few books I've read 3 or more times. An important discussion about determinining what is important in life, and what is just the details.
on “Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?” ↗Walden by Henry David Thoreau. It's public domain, so you can get it free. I challenge anyone here to read the first page and not immediately want to read the whole thing.
on “Ask HN: What are you reading right now?” ↗Lila - Pirisg Walden - Thoreau A Universe From Nothing - Krauss Goedel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012” ↗Honestly, have him read "Walden" by Thoreau. Here are a few of my Kindle highlights. "I was more independent than any farmer in Concord, for I was not anchored to a house or farm, but could follow the bent of my genius, which is a…
on “25Y Male making over $250K+ annually. Still stuck. Help?” ↗…and the art of motorcycle maintenance was a real eye-opener to me. - Last year, I read both Das Kapital by Karl Marx and The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money by John Maynard Keynes. - Walden by Henry David Thoreau Note that these are classic works (Zen is the newest, from 1974), but they haven't lost their relevance yet. Zen is a journey in your mind, disguised as a journey by motorcycle…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored” ↗…Thich Nhat Hanh * Letters from a stoic - Seneca * Amusing ourselves to death (Neil Postman) (combined with 1984 by Orwell and Brave New World by Huxley) * Zen mind, beginner's mind - Shunryu Suzuki * Walden - Henry David Thoreau
on “Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?” ↗