Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time. - E.B. White

Walden is the report of a man torn by two powerful and opposing drives — the desire to enjoy the world (and not be derailed by a mosquito wing) and the urge to set the world straight. One cannot join these two successfully, but sometimes, in rare cases, something good or even great results from the attempt of the tormented spirit to reconcile them.

"You have been my friend," replied Charlotte. "That in itself is a tremendous thing...after all, what's a life anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die...By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone's life can stand a little of that."

a husband and wife should tell each other about the things that are on their mind, otherwise you get nowhere,