Ralph Waldo Emerson’s magical words have shaped some of the most amazing essays or poems ever written, such as “Self-reliance,” “The American Scholar,” “Harvard Divinity School Address,” “The Bell,” “The Snow Storm,” and so on.
If you were looking for some inspiration for the day or are a fan of his, you are in the right place, as here you will find iconic quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s writings.
Emerson was an influential poet, essayist, lecturer, philosopher, religious minister, leader of the Transcendentalist movement, and a firm supporter of the abolitionist movement.
Quite a career, isn’t it? Let’s look a bit more into it.
The transcendentalist movement was a philosophical movement that had as a core belief the importance of nature and the inherent goodness of human beings.
Transcendentalists believe that human beings are naturally good and pure-hearted, but they are corrupted by society and its institutions.
They also militated for each individual’s independence and considered that divine experience could be found in the day to day life.
Through his writings and preaches, Emerson tried to speak about transcendentalist values, as well as the injustice of slavery.
He tackled some of the most controversial topics of that time and did his best to transform the society he lived in into a better, more loving, and compassionate one.
I believe that even though Emerson was an exponential figure of the 19th century (quite a while ago), he is still an inspiration and a great example up until today.
He dedicated his life to doing good, and for this, I will always consider him someone to look up to.
Thus, I invite you to have a look at the following 150 amazing Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes:
Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes to Elevate Your Mind and Spirit
1. “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
2. “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”
3. “Treat a man as he is, and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he could be, and he will become what he should be.”
4. “Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”
5. “Sow a thought, and you reap an action; sow an act, and you reap a habit; sow a habit, and you reap a character; sow a character, and you reap a destiny.”
6. “Speak what you think today in hard words, and tomorrow, speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradicts everything you said today.”
7. “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can..”
8. “Whatever games are played with us, we must play no games with ourselves, but deal in our privacy with the last honesty and truth.”
9. “None of us will ever accomplish anything excellent or commanding except when he listens to this whisper which is heard by him alone.”
10. “Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true.”
11. “Without ambition, one starts nothing. Without work, one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it.”
12. “He who is in love is wise and is becoming wiser, sees newly every time he looks at the object beloved, drawing from it with his eyes and his mind those virtues which it possesses.”
13. “I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.”
14. “Be not the slave of your own past – plunge into the sublime seas, dive deep, and swim far, so you shall come back with new self-respect, with new power, and with an advanced experience that shall explain and overlook the old.”
15. “Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you and to give thanks continuously.”
16. “Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it not.”
17. “And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”
18. “Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong.”
19. “If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads.”
20. “Don’t be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better.”
21. “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.”
22. “You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it…
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