Thoreau Quote

Say what you have to say, not what you ought

This quote from the conclusion of Walden by Henry David Thoreau is about not vocalizing generally accepted ideas, but instead speaking of your own original ideas. An example of this is, today, is the Dixie Chicks attack on George W. Bush. The lead singer, Natalie Maines “I feel the president is ignoring the opinion of many in the U.S. and alienating the rest of the world. My comments were made in frustration, and one of the privileges of being an American is you are free to voice your own point of view.” In addition to saying this, she also said, “Just so you know, we’re ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.” These comments were made at a time, directly after the September 11 terrorist attacks, when America was very patriotic. She, however made her opinions heard. She was boycotted by many country radio stations, and record sales decreased by 40% one month after she made the comment about her disappointment in George Bush. However, she is still holding strong to her true feelings, like in her new hit single, “Not Ready To Make Nice”, she said “I’m not ready to back down, I’m still mad as hell”. This is as Thoreau would say, “saying what you have to say”. When Thoreau said that you should “say what you have to say, rather than what you ought”, he meant that you shouldn’t go along with accepted values, unless you agree, because people’s opinions might be overlooked, unless there isn’t enough support for them. This spreads ideas, which increases democracy, a common idea in Thoreau’s time.