You're right. I've long said that Thoreau didn't mean it. Otherwise he'd just have said, "Simplify." And speaking of big words, once in Texas I heard Bob Kruger, who was running for representative at the time, speak to a bunch of oil rig workers. I slapped myself on the forehead and muttered, "No, no, no..." because I knew he had lost their vote the moment he stupidly decided to quote Shakespeare to these guys. What a dope... a highly educated dope. (I liked him.)
You're right. I've long said that Thoreau didn't mean it. Otherwise he'd just have said, "Simplify." And speaking of big words, once in Texas I heard Bob Kruger, who was running for representative at the time, speak to a bunch of oil rig workers. I slapped myself on the forehead and muttered, "No, no, no..." because I knew he had lost their vote the moment he stupidly decided to quote Shakespeare to these guys. What a dope... a highly educated dope. (I liked him.)
To quote Shakespeare, "They have been at a great feast of languages, and stolen the scraps."