Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American essayist, poet, and philosopher, was a key figure in the Transcendentalist movement of the 19th century. His essays, such as “Self-Reliance” and “Nature,” explored individualism, intuition, and the harmony between humanity and nature. Emerson’s works greatly influenced American literature and philosophical thought.
“Self-trust is the first secret of success.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”
“Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do.”
“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
“Every artist was first an amateur.”
“What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.”
“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.”
“The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.”
“A great man is always willing to be little.”
“The only way to have a friend is to be one.”
“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
“A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer.”
“The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.”
“Make your own Bible. Select and collect all the words and sentences that in all your readings have been to you like the blast of a trumpet.”
“Life is a journey, not a destination.”
“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”
“The reward of a thing well done is to have done it.”
“Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.”
“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.”
“Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great.”
“Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.”
“Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect.”
“Enthusiasm is the mother of effort, and without it, nothing great was ever achieved.”
“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.”
“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall.”
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.”
“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
“Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
These quotes reflect Emerson’s thoughts on self-reliance, individualism, and the pursuit of personal growth and fulfillment.
