# Ask the guy who's got a lot of time on his hands and enjoys talking about himself **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 1, 2005, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-whos-got-a-lot-of-time-on-his-hands-and-enjoys-talking-about-himself/287702 "2005-02-01T01:21:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-whos-got-a-lot-of-time-on-his-hands-and-enjoys-talking-about-himself/287702/101 "2005-02-07T05:20:36Z")
> [@roger thornhill](#): > > But I actually enjoy books like this, for example, _Tristram Shandy_ One of my favs. ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-whos-got-a-lot-of-time-on-his-hands-and-enjoys-talking-about-himself/287702/102 "2005-03-09T01:35:20Z")
> [@Zoe](#): > > Henry David Thoreau was an American. His essay _Civil Disobedience_ influenced Gandhi and the non-violent civil rights movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s. But it was his book _Walden_ that is so peaceful and somehow made me think of you. I have absolutely no idea why. It was about his experiences living in the woods as simply as he could in the mid-19th Century. I’ve been to the place where he lived. It was like a pilgrimage for me. I just started the book. It is very interesting. I’m, as always, making marginal notes. Here’s my favourite text so far (writing re the laboring man): “He has no time to be anything but a machine. _How can he remember well his ignorance - which his growth requires_ - who has so often to use his knowledge?” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-whos-got-a-lot-of-time-on-his-hands-and-enjoys-talking-about-himself/287702.md?page=5)