I, on my side, require of ...

I, on my side, require of every writer, first or last, a simple and sincere account of his own life, and not merely what he has heard of other men\'s lives; some such account as he would send to his kindred from a distant land; for if he has lived sincerely, it must have been in a distant land to me.
I, on my side, require of every writer, first or last, a simple and sincere account of his own life, and not merely what he has heard of other men's lives; some such account as he would send to his kindred from a distant land; for if he has lived sincerely, it must have been in a distant land to me.
 Henry David Thoreau

Quotes from the same author

Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.
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 Henry David Thoreau
If one advances confidently in the direction of his dream, and endeavors to live the life which he had imagines, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.
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 Henry David Thoreau
Ignorance and bungling with love are better than wisdom and skill without.
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 Henry David Thoreau
The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend.
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 Henry David Thoreau
A man cannot be said to succeed in this life who does not satisfy one friend.
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 Henry David Thoreau