"All this worldly wisdom was once the unamiable heresy of some wise man"

This quote by Henry David Thoreau is a pointer that the ideas and beliefs that are accepted as common understanding today were when thought about extreme and even heretical. Thoreau is suggesting that the wisdom of the world is not always real or absolute, however rather the item of a single wise individual who had the guts to challenge the status quo. He is also indicating that the wisdom of the world is constantly evolving and altering, which what is accepted as true today might not be true tomorrow. This quote encourages us to think critically and to question the accepted knowledge of the world, as it may not always be the best or most precise source of knowledge. Eventually, Thoreau is reminding us that the knowledge of the world is not always trusted, and that it is important to believe for ourselves and to challenge the status quo.