Best Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes
Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes About Success, Life, Nature, Self-reliance, Love, Happiness, Path, Society & Travel! Ralph Waldo Emerson (born May 25, 1803), better known by his middle name Waldo, was an American writer, speaker, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who was a crucial figure in the mid-nineteenth century transcendentalist movement. As an advocate of individuality and a prophetic critic of society’s opposing forces, he was shared widely through scores of published writings and more than 1,500 public speeches.
When Emerson wrote his 1836 essay “Nature,” he began to break away from his contemporaries’ theological and social convictions and formulate and convey transcendental philosophy. Then, in 1837, he gave a speech called “The American Scholar,” which Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. thought was the “intellectual Declaration of Independence” for the country. After revising the essays for publication, Emerson gave most of his most significant lectures before printing them. Essays: First Series (1841) and Essays: Second Series (1844) is the foundational works of his career.
In his work, Emerson did not conform to a single philosophy. Instead, he developed a range of notions, like individuality, the power of man to realize nearly anything, and the soul’s connection to its environment. In Emerson’s view, “nature” was more philosophical than naturalistic: “Philosophically viewed, the cosmos consists of Nature and the Soul.” Emerson is one of many thinkers who “adopted a more pantheist or pandeist stance by rejecting ideas of God as distinct from the universe.”
On April 27, 1882, he passed away from pneumonia. Quotes by Emerson that touch on numerous elements of life and living is excellent example of his philosophy and ideas. They inspire, motivate, and provide a fresh perspective on everything and every circumstance.
Best Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes
1. “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
2. “Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
3. “Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
4. “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
5. “Life is a journey, not a destination.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
6. “It is not the length of life, but the depth.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
7. “When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
8. “Make the most of yourself….for that is all there is of you.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
9. “I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
10. “Be silly. Be honest. Be kind.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
11. “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
12. “You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
13. “The only way to have a friend is to be one.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
14. “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
15. “Don’t be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
16. “The earth laughs in flowers.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
17. “A great man is always willing to be little.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
18. “Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
19. “To be great is to be misunderstood.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
20. “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
21. “Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
22. “People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
23. “When friendships are real, they are not glass threads or frost work, but the solidest things we can know.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
24. “You become what you think about all day long.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
25. “Character is higher than intellect… A great soul will be strong to live, as well as strong to think.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
26. “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
27. “Big jobs usually go to the men who prove their ability to outgrow small ones.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
28. “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
29. “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
30. “Self-trust is the first secret of success.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson
