I did not know that mankind were suffering for want of gold. I have seen a little of it. I know that it is very malleable, but not so malleable as wit. A grain of gold will gild a great surface, but not so much as a grain of wisdom.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- He compares gold’s ability to cover surfaces with the greater power of wisdom, which can enrich far more profoundly.
- In plain terms
- Wisdom is more valuable than gold.
- What can you take from it?
- Cultivate wisdom over material wealth.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Why do we often prioritize material wealth?
- In what ways can wisdom improve daily life?
Another view
The metaphor may oversimplify the complex role of money in society.
More from Henry David Thoreau
The rush to California, for instance, and the attitude, not merely of merchants, but of philosophers and prophets, so called, in relation to it, reflect the gr…
Permalink to quote #140 Men rush to California and Australia as if the true gold were to be found in that direction; but that is to go to the very opposite extreme to where it lies. T…
Permalink to quote #142 The title wise is, for the most part, falsely applied. How can one be a wise man, if he does not know any better how to live than other men? - if he is only mo…
Permalink to quote #139
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