Benjamin Franklin and Henry David Thoreau have been considered two influential thinkers in society. Both men lived in centuries past, but their beliefs and views still reside within some of history's most creditable figures such as: Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi. Each man possessed a wisdom that surpassed the times they lived in, but is still evident in today's society. Although both men are accredited for their wise ideals, their beliefs were often contradictory of each others" ideas of how a person should live and work in society, while some were complementary of the other's ideas.
Henry David Thoreau and Benjamin Franklin had many comparable beliefs. The men didn't follow the organized Christian religion of the time. Franklin believed in Deism; which humans believe that God created humans and the earth, but would not interfere with human progress within it. Thoreau believed in Transcendentalism; belief that humans are self-reliant, non-conforming beings, who are one with nature, understanding of the importance of the mind, and intuitive individualists. Each of the men believed in Tabula Rasa. They both believed that men were born clean and sinless, but that aspects of society, whether institutions or experiences, corrupt the human. Frugal men, Thoreau and Franklin believed that you should not waste things. In specific Ben Franklin believed that one should not waste time, and that one should wake up early in order to get a head start on the day, " Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." Thoreau also believed that one should not waste anything. He believed that one should not waste their minds and intelligence on work, and that on should rise early, also. He believed you should wake up early in the morning because there is something mystical about the morning. Morning represents the start of a new day, and the renewal of the mind and spirit. Finally, each man believed that people should practice chastity.