Why people recommend it
Henry David Thoreau's Walden is a classic reflection on simple living, self-reliance, and harmony with nature. Dr. Mark Hyman recommended the book on both Honestly with Bari Weiss and The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett, stating that it profoundly shaped his vision of how life should be lived and served as a major early influence on his philosophy. Matt Haig discussed Walden on The Book Review as an appealing escape for twenty-first-century minds overwhelmed by modernity and contemporary society. Maria Popova brought up Walden on How I Write while sharing her love for historical diaries, notebooks, and Thoreau's broader writings. On The Ben & Marc Show, Marc Andreessen referenced the work to emphasize society's pressing need to disconnect from modern technology. Josh Clark mentioned on Stuff You Should Know that Thoreau wrote about the Ice King while living at Walden Pond and writing the book. Additionally, Joe Rogan quoted Thoreau's famous line about most men living lives of quiet desperation on multiple episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience, highlighting its enduring resonance regarding human nature and modern society.
Who recommended it
- Dr. Mark Hyman Recommended
- Joe Rogan Discussed
- Matt Haig Discussed
- Maria Popova Discussed
- Marc Andreessen Discussed
- Josh Clark Discussed
- Rainn Wilson Discussed
- Travis Shakespeare Discussed
- Justin Long Discussed
- Bill Burr Discussed
Dr. Mark Hyman — 2 mentions
“Uh was Walden by Henry Theorough, which basically structured my vision of what life could and should look like and how to live.”
“uh the other I think main influence on my life was Henry thorough who was a transcendentalist lived in the 1800s wrote a book called Walden I if you've heard about it but it's a profound book”
Joe Rogan — 2 mentions
“you know the most men lead lives of quiet desperation the thorough line that I [ __ ] love so dearly It's such a great line”
“we said that most men live lives of quiet desperation”
Matt Haig — 1 mention
“Well, I think Thoreau is like a very attractive figure for 21st century mind that feels overwhelmed by modernity and contemporary society, absolutism, everything else. Just not necessarily the real man who he was, but the idea of Walden, the idea of going into the woods, building a cabin, retreating from society, and then enriching yourself more.”
Maria Popova — 1 mention
“Well, I mean, I love Walden. And people say whatever they say, but but I just I love Thoreau and um more of his notebooks than not just Walden.”
Marc Andreessen — 1 mention
“throw was way ahead of his time we really need Walden Pond now”
Josh Clark — 1 mention
“one of the places where he was cutting ice from was Walden Lake and thorough noted the Ice King cutting ice in or wal Pond sorry Mayers um yeah that while he was writing his book Walden I think he appears in Walden”
Rainn Wilson — 1 mention
“Well, it's been a long time since I read Walden Pond am and the night Thoreau spent in jail”
Travis Shakespeare — 1 mention
“there's a thematic root in what's happening in the 5 community that I see going all the way back to something like Walden right Henry Davidson Rose classic book about a guy who rejects the complexity of life in order to simplify and create a space for himself to understand what's truly important in the world”
Justin Long — 1 mention
“and so I started reading through on Walden Pond I started reading which I had never read and it's like a the row book oh my god they make you read and I can't believe I don't think I'd ever read I didn't remember it anyway what is it called its called a Walden Pond Wald Walden Pond”
Bill Burr — 1 mention
“and so I started reading through on Walden Pond I started reading which I had never read and it's like a the row book oh my god they make you read”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker — 1
“I'm gonna go old school and say the first chapter of thoreau's Walden where he's sitting in this little Hut in the woods and talking about what his expenses are and and figuring out that he doesn't need to be in the rat race at all if he doesn't want to”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
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- American Crusade
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- Brain Train
- Consilience
Other mentions (2: passing, ad reads, own books)
“there is a longer tradition in the U.S that you can kind of trace back to Thoreau and you know the book Walden Pond and those social and political and constitutional differences”
“and evidently sthoreau sold like 75 copies of walden”