Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 – April 27, 1882) was an American philosopher and poet, best known for leading the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champion of individualism and a prescient critic of the countervailing pressures of society, and he disseminated his thoughts through dozens of published essays and more than 1,500 public lectures across the United States.
He saw a direct connection between human, nature and god, and later these connections inspired him to write. He was known as the "Father of Self-Reliance" due to his writings that profoundly influenced many intellectuals of his time.
These 50 Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes may inspire and motivate you to build a confident and strong character. ENJOY!
1. "Character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live, as well as strong to think."
2. "People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character."
3. "The good news is that the moment you decide that what you know is more important than what you have been taught to believe, you will have shifted gears in your quest for abundance. Success comes from within, not from without."
4. "The health of the eye seems to demand a horizon. We are never tired, so long as we can see far enough."
5. "What your heart thinks is great, is great. The soul’s emphasis is always right."
6. "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
7. "Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true."
8. "Without a rich heart, wealth is an ugly beggar."
9. "Judge your natural character by what you do in your dreams."
10. "A man is what he thinks about all day long."
11. "Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience."
12. "People with great gifts are easy to find, but symmetrical and balanced ones never."
13. "People that seem so glorious are all show; underneath they are like everyone else."
14. "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."
15. "A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer."
16. "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies inside us."
17. "To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."
18. "The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be."
19. "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. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."
20. "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
21. "When it is dark enough, you can see the stars."
22. "Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams."
23. "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."
24. "It is not the length of life, but the depth."
25. "I like the silent church before the service begins, better than any preaching."
26. "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."
27. "If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads."
28. "Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind."
29. "Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood."
30. "Nothing external to you has any power over you."
31. "Make the most of yourself for that is all there is of you."
32. "Every artist was first an amateur.'
33. ''But genius looks forward. The eyes of men are set in his forehead, not in his hind head. Man hopes. Genius creates.''
34. "The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common."
35. "Dream delivers us to dream, and there is no end to illusion. Life is like a train of moods like a string of beads, and, as we pass through them, they prove to be many-colored lenses which paint the world their own hue … "
36. "Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain."
37. "None of us will ever accomplish anything excellent or commanding except when he listens to this whisper which is heard by him alone."
38. "When you were born you were crying and everyone else was smiling. Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone else is crying."
39. "Nothing is more simple than greatness; indeed, to be simple is to be great."
40. "A child is a curly, dimpled lunatic.''
41. "We are students of words: we are shut up in schools, colleges, and recitation rooms, for ten or fifteen years, and come out at last with a bag of wind, a memory of words, and do not know a thing."
42. "Is it so bad then to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood."
43. "A great man quotes bravely, and will not draw on his invention when his memory serves him with a word just as good."
44. "For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness."
45. "I am ashamed to think how easily we capitulate to badges and names, to large societies and dead institutions."
46. "The reason why the world lacks unity, and lies broken and in heaps, is, because man is disunited with himself."
47. "In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts; they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty."
48. "In order for one to learn the important lessons of life, one must first overcome a fear each day."
49. "Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year."
50. "Whatever games are played with us, we must play no games with ourselves, but deal in our privacy with the last honesty and truth."
Conclusion -
Emerson was a man of many talents. He was an author, poet, philosopher and also a lecturer. Inspired by his writings? You can visit our Instagram page to see more quotes from him as well as other famous authors. In addition, if you’re looking for ways to develop your confidence and become more self-aware we highly recommend visiting our blog regularly by bookmarking our site.
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