Ralph Waldo Emerson, one of the greatest thinkers of any age, who’s prose and lines of thnking have influenced many a great person and action, and one of my favorite writers because of his position on matters of life. Here’s a sample of one of his books Essays: First Series.
“A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Character is higher than intellect… A great soul will be strong to live, as well as to think.”
“If I have lost confidence in myself, I have the universe against me.”
“Insist on yourself; never imitate… Every great man is unique.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Nature magically suits a man to his fortunes, by making them the fruit of his character.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“There are many things of which a wise man might wish to be ignorant.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Whoever is open, loyal, true; of humane and affable demeanour; honourable himself, and in his judgement of others; faithful to his word as to law, and faithful alike to God and man….such a man is a true gentleman.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Common sence is as rare as genius. Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Art 1841
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance
“The reward of a thing well done is to have done it.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Conduct of Life (Fate, 1860)
“Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The less government we have the better.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The greatest homage we can pay truth is to use it.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Self-trust is the essence of heroism”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The teaching of politics is that the Government, which was set for protection and comfort of all good citizens, becomes the principal obstruction and nuisance with which we have to contend… The cheat and bully and malefactor we meet everywhere is the Government.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson. Journal 1860
“Next to the originator of a good sentence is the first quoter of it.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Letters and Social Aims (Quotations and Originality)