There is a saying that goes, "The only life worth living is an examined life." This is, most likely, the sole reason why Thoreau journeyed into the woods in the first place. He felt as if the life he was leading in his town was meaningless, and every day it was getting more and more monotonous and superficial. He needed to go somewhere where he could be in seclusion and reflect on his own life, and how he had been living. His time in the woods was a time of deep reflection and self-evaluation. Thoreau was leading an examined life. He was doing what many people, unfortunately, do on their deathbed; asking questions such as "Who am I", "What is my purpose in life", and "What is the meaning of life?" Hours upon hours were spent recording his thoughts in a journal. One might find it interesting how journaling and autobiographies are a huge part of living an examined life. In an article entitled The Examined Life, Rev. Robert Hardies says, "Given our penchant for self-discovery, it's no surprise that authors love to tell their stories. What is remarkable, though, is how much the rest of us want to read them. Autobiographies are the best-selling non-fiction books on the market we want to know how others answered the question, "Who am I?" because we're looking for some clue how to answer it for ourselves." Through his journal, he looked deep into his own soul to answer these timeworn questions. Thoreau ventured into the woods to examine his own life. He departed to discover what life had to offer him.
