Walden by Henry David Thoreau

For two years two months
Henry lived in solitude
with insights for all.

Finally after 3 airplane trips I finished Henry David Thoreau's Walden. As you can see from the link on the left, I read the free version on my Kindle.

I wouldn't have written a blog post except for one lengthy quote from the book that I'll cite here.

"No man with a genius for legislation has appeared in America. They are rare in the history of the world. There are orators, politicians, and eloquent men, by the thousand; but the speaker has not yet opened his mouth to speak who is capable of settling the much-vexed questions of the day. We love eloquence for its own sake, and not for any truth which it may utter, or any heroism it may inspire. Our legislators have not yet learned the comparative value of free-trade and of freedom, of union, and of rectitude, to a nation. They have no genius or talent for comparatively humble questions of taxation and finance, commerce and manufacturers and agriculture. If we were left solely to the wordy wit of legislators in Congress for our guidance, uncorrected by the seasonable experience and the effectual complaints of the people, American would not long retain her rank among the nations."

The more things change, the more they stay the same.