About Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson, who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. Wikipedia
Born: 25 May 1803, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Died: 27 April 1882, Concord, Massachusetts, United States
100 Top Quotes by Ralph Waldo Emerson in English
- “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
- “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.”
- “For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.”
- “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
- “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”
- “Life is a journey, not a destination.”
- “Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.”
- “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
- “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.”
- “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.”
- “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.”
- “Don’t waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good.”
- “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”
- “To be great is to be misunderstood.”
- “Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect.”
- “A man is what he thinks about all day long.”
- “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.”
- “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
- “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
- “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
- “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.”
- “The only way to have a friend is to be one.”
- “Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.”
- “The only reward of virtue is virtue; the only way to have a friend is to be one.”
- “He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life.”
- “The only gift is a portion of thyself.”
- “The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.”
- “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.”
- “The best way to predict your future is to create it.”
- “The world belongs to the energetic.”
- “Every great and commanding movement in the annals of the world is due to the triumph of enthusiasm.”
- “Our chief want in life is somebody who shall make us do what we can.”
- “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
- “What you are comes to you.”
- “Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams.”
- “The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.”
- “The first wealth is health.”
- “Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.”
- “Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.”
- “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; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”
- “Self-reliance is the only road to true freedom, and being one’s own person is its ultimate reward.”
- “The wise man in the storm prays to God, not for safety from danger, but deliverance from fear.”
- “The secret in education lies in respecting the student.”
- “The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.”
- “Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.”
- “The only true gift is a portion of yourself.”
- “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better.”
- “Be not the slave of your own past – plunge into the sublime seas, dive deep, and swim far, so you shall come back with self-respect, with new power, with an advanced experience that shall explain and overlook the old.”
- “As we grow old, the beauty steals inward.”
- “We acquire the strength we have overcome.”
- “People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character.”
- “Don’t waste your life in doubts and fears: spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour’s duties will be the best preparation for the hours and ages that will follow it.”
- “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
- “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”
- “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
- “You become what you think about all day long.”
- “Be silly. Be honest. Be kind.”
- “To be great is to be misunderstood.”
- “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”
- “People only see what they are prepared to see.”
- “Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.”
- “Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
- “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better.”
- “Nothing is more simple than greatness; indeed, to be simple is to be great.”
- “Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.”
- “For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.”
- “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”
- “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”
- “The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions.”
- “The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.”
- “Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.”
- “The years teach much which the days never know.”
- “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
- “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”
- “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
- “The world is all gates, all opportunities, strings of tension waiting to be struck.”
- “What we fear of doing most is usually what we most need to do.”
- “Every great and commanding movement in the annals of the world is due to the triumph of enthusiasm.”
- “Shallow men believe in luck or in circumstance. Strong men believe in cause and effect.”
- “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”
- “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”
- “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
- “Belief consists in accepting the affirmations of the soul; Unbelief, in denying them.”
- “The greatest gift is a portion of thyself.”
- “Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.”
- “Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.”
- “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
- “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; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”
- “Our chief want in life, is someone who shall make us do what we can. This is the service of a friend. With him, we are easily great.”
- “Sorrow looks back, Worry looks around, Faith looks up.”
- “Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
- “A great man is always willing to be little.”
- “Life is a journey, not a destination.”
- “The only reward of virtue is virtue; the only way to have a friend is to be one.”
- “We are always getting ready to live but never living.”
- “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.”
- “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”
- “The best way to predict your future is to create it.”
- “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.”
FAQs:
Q: Who was Ralph Waldo Emerson?
A: Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, poet, and philosopher who played a significant role in the Transcendentalist movement in the mid-19th century.
Q: What is Ralph Waldo Emerson famous for?
A: Ralph Waldo Emerson is best known for his essays and lectures, which explored themes of individualism, self-reliance, and the divinity of nature.
Q: What is Transcendentalism?
A: Transcendentalism was a literary and philosophical movement in the mid-19th century that emphasized the importance of individualism, self-reliance, and the divinity of nature. Ralph Waldo Emerson was one of its leading figures.
Q: What were some of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s most famous works?
A: Some of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s most famous works include his essays “Self-Reliance,” “The American Scholar,” and “Nature,” as well as his book “Representative Men.”
Q: What was Ralph Waldo Emerson’s philosophy?
A: Ralph Waldo Emerson’s philosophy emphasized the importance of individualism, self-reliance, and the divinity of nature. He believed that individuals should trust their own instincts and intuition, rather than conforming to societal expectations.
Q: How did Ralph Waldo Emerson influence American literature?
A: Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essays and lectures helped to shape American literature by promoting new ideas about individualism, self-reliance, and the power of nature. He was also a mentor to many of the leading writers of his time, including Henry David Thoreau and Walt Whitman.
Q: What was Ralph Waldo Emerson’s view on nature?
A: Ralph Waldo Emerson believed that nature was a source of spiritual and moral inspiration, and that individuals should seek to connect with it in order to better understand themselves and the world around them. He famously wrote, “Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.”
Q: What was Ralph Waldo Emerson’s view on education?
A: Ralph Waldo Emerson believed that education should be focused on developing the individual’s own abilities and talents, rather than simply imparting knowledge. He encouraged students to trust their own instincts and to think for themselves, rather than relying on authority figures.
Q: What is the legacy of Ralph Waldo Emerson?
A: Ralph Waldo Emerson’s ideas about individualism, self-reliance, and the importance of nature have had a lasting impact on American culture and literature. His works continue to be studied and admired by scholars and readers alike.
