Functioning as Chapter Summaries:
* "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." (Chapter 1, "Economy") - This statement encapsulates Thoreau's purpose for going to Walden Pond and his desire to live simply and intentionally.
* "We are not to be too particular, it seems, about the company we keep, if we wish to have any at all." (Chapter 2, "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For") - This captures the idea that Thoreau found companionship even in the solitude of nature.
* "Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and I may say innocence, with Nature herself." (Chapter 5, "The Village") - This highlights Thoreau's connection with nature and his attempt to live in harmony with it.
Provocative Insights and Paradoxical Statements:
* "Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count two, and keep your accounts on your thumbnail." (Chapter 1, "Economy") - This promotes minimalist living and simplicity in one's affairs.
* "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." (Chapter 1, "Economy") - This statement encourages pursuing one's dreams with confidence and conviction.
* "The greater part of what my neighbors call good I believe in my soul to be bad, and if I repent of anything, it is very likely to be my good behavior." (Chapter 3, "Reading") - This highlights Thoreau's skepticism towards conventional morality and his pursuit of his own definition of good.
These are just a few examples of the many epigram-like statements in Walden. They serve to emphasize Thoreau's central themes of self-reliance, simplicity, and living in harmony with nature, while also challenging traditional societal norms and values.