Walden / Civil Disobedience / And Other Writings Quotes

“It is not a man's duty, as a matter of course, to devote himself to the eradication of any, even the most enormous, wrong; he may still properly have other concerns to engage him; but it is his duty, at least, to wash his hands of it, and, if he gives it no thought longer, not to give it practically his support. If I devote myself to other pursuits and contemplations, I must first see, at least, that I do not pursue them sitting upon another man's shoulders.”
― Henry David Thoreau, Walden / Civil Disobedience / And Other Writings: A Norton Critical Edition