“What’s the use of a fine house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on.” 

~ Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

Many people feel the need to express their social and political beliefs but very few people actually follow through and live by the principles that they espouse. Henry David Thoreau was in this small minority and for this fact alone, will always have my admiration. The extent he was willing to go to in order to defend what he thought to be right was truly inspirational, and indeed Thoreau did go on to be a major inspiration to figures as legendary as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.

I feel that the above quote beautifully expresses a message that is even more important today than ever. In an increasingly individualistic world where we are encouraged to help ourselves and only ourselves, a message such as this – which reminds us that we should look outside of our immediate surroundings to find things in need of help and improvement – should be shouted from the rooftops.

If you want to read more about Henry David Thoreau, I can’t recommend his book Walden highly enough. It is a truly revolutionary piece of non-fiction which combines practical lessons on a range of life skills with satire and a healthy dose of civil disobedience.