Henry David Thoreau, Life Without Principle (1863)
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When our life ceases to be inward and private, conversation degenerates into mere gossip.

— Henry David Thoreau on Gossip

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "When our life ceases to be inward and private, conversation degenerates into mere gossip." in the context of "Henry David Thoreau, Life Without Principle (1863)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Gossip" (Quotes: [[File:GoreVidalVanVechten1.jpg|thumb|Everybody likes a bit of gossip to some point, as long as it's gossip with some point to it. That's why I like history. History is nothing but gossip about the past, with the hope that it might be true. ~ Gore Vidal]]) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Henry David Thoreau

About Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau (12 July 1817 – 6 May 1862) was an American essayist, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, and historian. A leading transcendentalist, Thoreau is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay Resistance to Civil Government (also known as Civil Disobedience), an argument for disobedience to an unjust state.