What does Thoreau mean when he says he wants to shave life close and “reduce it to its lowest terms?” What did he hope this would do?

Thoreau wanted to live simply and deliberately. Thoreau's felt that most men live lives of quiet desperation He felt that he wasn't "sucking the marrow" out of life: Life in the "rat race" was an illusion for him.Thoreau wanted to feel life; he wanted to chop wood and carry water. He wanted to live life in the moment.  The metaphor can be made to our own lives when we fall into a comfortable yet mind numbing existence. We don't live deliberately but rather through smartphones, Facebook, and "reality shows" like the movie's title.