I think Thoreau meant that we should be tuned into and examine our inner selves, thoughts, beliefs, and motivations. He felt that too many people only paid attention to externalities.
http://www.4literature.net/Henry_David_Thoreau/Life_Without_Principle/
in "life without principle," thoreau writes, "i would have had him deal with his privatest experience, as the poet does." what does this statement mean?
2 answers
"i would have had him deal with his privatest experience, as the poet does."
Poets write about how they experience life...things that effect them on the most intimate level.... beauty, love, death, a moment in time that they will never forget.
I do not know who Thoreau was writing about but he was suggesting that that person was writing superficially, not on a really personal level. We all agree that one must live with principles, but how important are they to each person on a VITAL level. What principles do each of us select to live by and why do we choose these?
Poets write about how they experience life...things that effect them on the most intimate level.... beauty, love, death, a moment in time that they will never forget.
I do not know who Thoreau was writing about but he was suggesting that that person was writing superficially, not on a really personal level. We all agree that one must live with principles, but how important are they to each person on a VITAL level. What principles do each of us select to live by and why do we choose these?