Most men appear never to have considered what a house is, and are actually though needlessly poor all their lives because they think that they must have such a one as their neighbors have. As if one were to wear any sort of coat which the tailor might cut out for him, or gradually leaving off palm-leaf hat or cap of woodchuck skin, complain of hard times because he could not afford to buy him a crown! It is possible to invent a house still more convenient and luxurious than we have, which yet all would admit that man could not afford to pay for. Shall we always study to obtain more of these things, and not sometimes be content with less? . Henry David Thoreau
About This Quote

Carl Akeley wrote in his book, "The American Forest" that Americans studied hard to obtain more of the things that they thought were important in life. They worked hard to get their houses, cars, and other materialistic possessions. However, Akeley suggested that people should consider whether or not they really needed what they had. The idea was that if people took the time to look at their lives and examine what was important to them, they would come up with some different conclusions than Akeley’s.

Source: Walden

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