If the injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of government, let it go, let it go: perchance it will wear smooth — certainly the … - Henry David Thoreau

" "

If the injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of government, let it go, let it go: perchance it will wear smooth — certainly the machine will wear out… but if it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then I say, break the law. Let your life be a counter-friction to stop the machine. What I have to do is to see, at any rate, that I do not lend myself to the wrong which I condemn.

civil-disobedience dissent
English
Collect this quote

About Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau (12 July 1817 – 6 May 1862) was an American essayist, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, and historian. A leading transcendentalist, Thoreau is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay Resistance to Civil Government (also known as Civil Disobedience), an argument for disobedience to an unjust state.

Biography information from Wikiquote

Also Known As

Birth Name: David Henry Thoreau
Alternative Names: Thoreau • Henry D. Thoreau • Henry Thoreau
Full Quote All quotes from Henry David Thoreau Similar Quotes by other Originators
PREMIUM FEATURE
Advanced Search Filters

Filter search results by source, date, and more with our premium search tools.

Unlock Premium Filters

Shorter versions of this quote

Originators like Henry David Thoreau:
Ralph Waldo Emerson Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Michel de Montaigne Samuel Johnson Robert Louis Stevenson

Additional quotes by Henry David Thoreau

You must converse much with the field and the woods if you would imbibe such health into your mind and spirit as you covet for your body
Find Similar