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.

I did not wish to live what was not life,

living is so dear,

nor did I wish to practice resignation,

unless it was quite necessary.

I wanted to live deep and suck all the marrow of life,

 to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life...