Any man more right than his neighbors constitutes a majority of one.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Thoreau notes that a person whose views are more correct than his neighbors is a majority of one.
- In plain terms
- He says being right alone makes you a one‑person majority.
- What can you take from it?
- Recognize that moral truth can exist even when alone.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How to sustain moral conviction when isolated?
- When should one compromise for the greater good?
Another view
Being a lone majority can be isolating and ineffective without collective support.
More from Henry David Thoreau
I came into this world, not chiefly to make this a good place to live in, but to live in it, be it good or bad.
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