Henry David Thoreau, naturalist and author

Many are concerned about the monuments of the West and the East- to know who built them. For my part, I should like to know who in those days did not build them- who were above such trifling. -Henry David Thoreau, naturalist and author (1817-1862)

Once again, Thoreau seems to be nothing but a contrarian. I suppose one might find fault with the builders of the pyramids, for example, but it seems only perverse to call the work trifling. Considering the human cost of those particular monuments, I might call them monstrous, but not trifling.

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