Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) was a leading American philosopher, essayist, and poet. With his fervent belief in individualism and the transcendentalist movement, he left an indelible mark on American literature. Emerson's seminal works like "Self-Reliance" and "Nature" challenged societal norms and encouraged self-reflection. As a prominent public speaker, he captivated audiences with his eloquence and revolutionary ideas. Emerson's profound influence extended beyond his time, inspiring generations of thinkers and writers worldwide. His timeless wisdom continues to ignite the spark of self-discovery and intellectual enlightenment.

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The best effect of fine persons is felt after we have left their presence.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Men succeed when they realize that their failures are the preparation for their victories.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Why should the way I feel depend on the thoughts in someone else's head?

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. 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. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The years in your life are less important than the life in your years.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The world belongs to the energetic.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Successful is the person who has lived well, laughed often and loved much, who has gained the respect of children, who leaves the world better than they found it, who has never lacked appreciation for the earth's beauty, who never fails to look for the best in others or give the best of themselves.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

So much of our time is spent in preparation, so much in routine and so much in retrospect, that the amount of each person’s genius is confined to a very few hours.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Postpone not your life.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nothing external to you has any power over you.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Meet your failure nobly, and it will not differ from success.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Man was born to be rich, or grows rich by the use of his faculties, by the union of thought with nature.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is not the length of life, but the depth.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinions; 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.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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

For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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

Do the thing, and you shall have the power.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Give a boy address and accomplishments and you give him the mastery of palaces and fortunes where he goes.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Money often costs too much.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

To be great is to be misunderstood.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson