Book excerpt: 'Walden And On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience'' is written by Sir Henry David Thoreau. The main idea of this book by Henry David Thoreau is to find the meaning of life. The author set out to think about himself, life, and the place of man in the universe. In this book, Thoreau made the case that if the government forces people to uphold injustice by adhering to "unjust laws," they should "break the law," even if doing so results in jail time. In Civil Disobedience, Thoreau's central thesis is that there is a law that transcends civil law that everyone must abide by. The government and human law are subordinate. The person must behave in accordance with his conscience and, if necessary, reject human law when the two conflict. To read this premium collection of law and to discuss the meaning of life, readers should read this book!