Inspiration and meaningful work
It is not enough to be industrious; so are the ants. What are you industrious about?
— Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862), Letter to Harrison Blake, 16 November 1857

Inspiration and meaningful work

What it means

Being busy is not the same as doing something worthwhile. Thoreau asks us to look past effort itself to the purpose that effort serves.

Published in Thoreau’s collected Letters to Various Persons (1865).

About the author

Henry David Thoreau — American philosopher (1817–1862).

Source and verification

Source
Letter to Harrison Blake, 16 November 1857
Reference
Henry David Thoreau on Wikiquote
Checked
Wording and source checked against the sourced section of the author’s Wikiquote page (accessed 2026-10-11).
Copyright
Public domain: the author died in 1862.

The explanation above is ToDoMatriX’s own reading of the quote, not the author’s words.

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