We are in great haste to construct a magnetic telegraph from Maine to… — Henry David Thoreau · Smartyfair

We are in great haste to construct a magnetic telegraph from Maine to Texas; but Maine and Texas, it may be, have nothing important to communicate.

Henry David Thoreau1817–1862 · writer · 1800s USAHenry David Thoreau was an American writer who spent two years living simply in a small cabin near Walden Pond, writing about nature, independence, and living deliberately.175 quotes

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How sure this is: 95% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up: Walden (1854); Exact wording and attribution checked in cited source; author opinion or historical prediction, not an independently established technological fact.
Work: Walden (1854)
Sources checked: gutenberg.orgChecked using manual, 21 October 2026Walden (1854); Exact wording and attribution checked in cited source; author opinion or historical prediction, not an independently established technological fact.

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More from Henry David Thoreau

In wildness is the preservation of the world.

Henry David Thoreau If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.

Henry David Thoreau If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.

Henry David Thoreau The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.

Henry David Thoreau Our life is frittered away by detail.

Henry David Thoreau Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.

Henry David Thoreau

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