(1817–1862) American writer and
philosopher, who by his own account
was powerfully influenced by the Hindu
religious text known as the Bhagavad
Gita, particularly the text’s instruction to
perform one’s duties selflessly for the
good of society, without any thought of
personal reward. Thoreau refers to this
text in both Walden and A Week on the
Concord and Merrimack Rivers, and in
letters to his friends, Thoreau talks
about his desire to practice yoga.