Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Let me admonish you, first of all, to go alone; to refuse the good models, even those which are..."

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 16:20:07 -0400

“Let me admonish you, first of all, to go alone; to refuse the good models, even those which are sacred in the imagination of men, and dare to love God without mediator or veil. Friends enough you shall find who will hold up to your emulation Wesleys and Oberlins, Saints and Prophets. Thank God for these good men, but say, ‘I also am a man.’ Imitation cannot go above its model. The imitator dooms himself to hopeless mediocrity.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Divinity School Address

"November 27, 1838. I have no less disgust than any other at the cant of Spiritualism. I had rather..."

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 01:50:12 -0400

“November 27, 1838. I have no less disgust than any other at the cant of Spiritualism. I had rather hear a round volley of Ann Street oaths than the affectation of that which is divine on the foolish lips of coxcombs.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Journals

"that all kinds of power usually emerge at the same time; good energy, and bad; power of mind, with..."

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 03:54:09 -0400

“that all kinds of power usually emerge at the same time; good energy, and bad; power of mind, with physical health; the ecstasies of devotion, with the exasperations of debauchery. The same elements are always present, only sometimes these conspicuous, and sometimes those; what was yesterday foreground, being to-day background, — what was surface, playing now a not less effective part as basis. The longer the drought lasts, the more is the atmosphere surcharged with water. The faster the ball falls to the sun, the force to fly off is by so much augmented. And, in morals, wild liberty breeds iron conscience; natures with great impulses have great resources, and return from far.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Power

"There is always room for a man of force, and he makes room for many. Society is a troop of thinkers,..."

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 18:28:18 -0400

“There is always room for a man of force, and he makes room for many. Society is a troop of thinkers, and the best heads among them take the best places. A feeble man can see the farms that are fenced and tilled, the houses that are built. The strong man sees the possible houses and farms. His eye makes estates, as fast as the sun breeds clouds.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Power

"A timid man listening to the alarmists in Congress, and in the newspapers, and observing the..."

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:19:42 -0400

“A timid man listening to the alarmists in Congress, and in the newspapers, and observing the profligacy of party, — sectional interests urged with a fury which shuts its eyes to consequences, with a mind made up to desperate extremities, ballot in one hand, and rifle in the other, — might easily believe that he and his country have seen their best days, and he hardens himself the best he can against the coming ruin. But, after this has been foretold with equal confidence fifty times, and government six per cents have not declined a quarter of a mill, he discovers that the enormous elements of strength which are here in play, make our politics unimportant. Personal power, freedom, and the resources of nature strain every faculty of every citizen.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Power

"Import into any stationary district, as into an old Dutch population in New York or Pennsylvania, or..."

Tue, 24 May 2011 03:45:10 -0400

“Import into any stationary district, as into an old Dutch population in New York or Pennsylvania, or among the planters of Virginia, a colony of hardy Yankees, with seething brains, heads full of steam-hammer, pulley, crank, and toothed wheel, — and everything begins to shine with values. What enhancement to all the water and land in England, is the arrival of James Watt or Brunel! In every company, there is not only the active and passive sex, but, in both men and women, a deeper and more important sex of mind, namely, the inventive or creative class of both men and women, and the uninventive or accepting class.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Power

"All power is of one kind, a sharing of the nature of the world. The mind that is parallel with the..."

Sat, 21 May 2011 00:50:38 -0400

“All power is of one kind, a sharing of the nature of the world. The mind that is parallel with the laws of nature will be in the current of events, and strong with their strength. One man is made of the same stuff of which events are made; is in sympathy with the course of things; can predict it. Whatever befalls, befalls him first; so that he is equal to whatever shall happen.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Power

"Concentration is the secret of strength in politics, in war, in trade, in short, in all management..."

Fri, 13 May 2011 03:35:57 -0400

“Concentration is the secret of strength in politics, in war, in trade, in short, in all management of human affairs.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Power

"Men of this surcharge of arterial blood cannot live on nuts, herb-tea, and elegies; cannot read..."

Wed, 11 May 2011 14:56:48 -0400

“Men of this surcharge of arterial blood cannot live on nuts, herb-tea, and elegies; cannot read novels, and play whist; cannot satisfy all their wants at the Thursday Lecture, or the Boston Athenaeum. They pine for adventure, and must go to Pike’s Peak; had rather die by the hatchet of a Pawnee, than sit all day and every day at a counting-room desk. They are made for war, for the sea, for mining, hunting, and clearing; for hair-breadth adventures, huge risks, and the joy of eventful living.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Power

"Yourself a newborn bard of the Holy Ghost, — cast behind you all conformity, and acquaint men..."

Thu, 05 May 2011 01:33:15 -0400

“Yourself a newborn bard of the Holy Ghost, — cast behind you all conformity, and acquaint men at first hand with Deity. Look to it first and only, that fashion, custom, authority, pleasure, and money, are nothing to you, — are not bandages over your eyes, that you cannot see, — but live with the privilege of the immeasurable mind. Not too anxious to visit periodically all families and each family in your parish connection, — when you meet one of these men or women, be to them a divine man; be to them thought and virtue; let their timid aspirations find in you a friend; let their trampled instincts be genially tempted out in your atmosphere; let their doubts know that you have doubted, and their wonder feel that you have wondered. By trusting your own heart, you shall gain more confidence in other men.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Divinity School Address

"It is the office of a true teacher to show us that God is, not was; that He speaketh, not spake. The..."

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 01:58:47 -0400

“It is the office of a true teacher to show us that God is, not was; that He speaketh, not spake. The true Christianity, — a faith like Christ’s in the infinitude of man, — is lost. None believeth in the soul of man, but only in some man or person old and departed.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Divinity School Address

"To aim to convert a man by miracles, is a profanation of the soul. A true conversion, a true Christ,..."

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 23:15:05 -0400

“To aim to convert a man by miracles, is a profanation of the soul. A true conversion, a true Christ, is now, as always, to be made, by the reception of beautiful sentiments. It is true that a great and rich soul, like his, falling among the simple, does so preponderate, that, as his did, it names the world. The world seems to them to exist for him, and they have not yet drunk so deeply of his sense, as to see that only by coming again to themselves, or to God in themselves, can they grow forevermore. It is a low benefit to give me something; it is a high benefit to enable me to do somewhat of myself. The time is coming when all men will see, that the gift of God to the soul is not a vaunting, overpowering, excluding sanctity, but a sweet, natural goodness, a goodness like thine and mine, and that so invites thine and mine to be and to grow.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Divinity School Address

"But life is good only when it is magical and musical, a perfect timing and consent, and when we do..."

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:30:50 -0400

“But life is good only when it is magical and musical, a perfect timing and consent, and when we do not anatomize it. You must treat the days respectfully, you must be a day yourself, and not interrogate it like a college professor. The world is enigmatical, - everything said, and everything known or done, - and must not be taken literally, but genially. We must be at the top of our condition to understand anything rightly. You must hear the bird’s song without attempting to render it into nouns and verbs.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Works and Days

You seen this? Looks like they're going to post the complete works or something. http://rwemerson.tumblr.com/

Sat, 09 Apr 2011 04:43:49 -0400

Good to hear from you! I hadn’t seen it, but I’m certainly happy somebody’s taking up that project. Emerson everyplace! Emerson for everyone!

The selections I tend to post are thoughts which stood out to me in my own reading (and I admit, I lean toward sharing the more-quotable ones, as they’re often more dynamic for sharing with people unfamiliar with his other works). Originally, this was an effort to find passages equally compelling as the few that are renowned and distributed; there are massive, powerful sections that will inevitably evade my attention, however, and if anyone is interested in reading Emerson’s works in full I would be among the first to encourage it! On that note, if you haven’t got a paper copy on hand to doodle in, www.rwe.org has got a complete archive.

I am excited to check out rwemerson.tumblr in more detail, of course. Thanks for the heads-up.

"Men of genius in general are, more than others, incapable of any perfect exhibition, because however..."

Sat, 09 Apr 2011 04:23:46 -0400

“Men of genius in general are, more than others, incapable of any perfect exhibition, because however agreeable it may be to them to act on the public, it is always a secondary aim. They are humble, self-accusing, moody men, whose worship is toward the Ideal Beauty, which chooses to be courted not so often in perfect hymns, as in wild ear-piercing ejaculations, or in silent musings. Their face is forward, and their heart is in this heaven. By so much are they disqualified for a perfect success in any particular performance to which they can give only a divided affection.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, New Poetry

"Idealism sees the world in God. It beholds the whole circle of persons and things, of actions and..."

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 00:48:13 -0400

“Idealism sees the world in God. It beholds the whole circle of persons and things, of actions and events, of country and religion, not as painfully accumulated, atom after atom, act after act, in an aged creeping Past, but as one vast picture, which God paints on the instant eternity, for the contemplation of the soul. Therefore the soul holds itself off from a too trivial and microscopic study of the universal tablet. It respects the end too much, to immerse itself in the means.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Idealism

"The advantage of the ideal theory over the popular faith, is this, that it presents the world in..."

Sun, 03 Apr 2011 01:44:40 -0400

“The advantage of the ideal theory over the popular faith, is this, that it presents the world in precisely that view which is most desirable to the mind. It is, in fact, the view which Reason, both speculative and practical, that is, philosophy and virtue, take. For, seen in the light of thought, the world always is phenomenal; and virtue subordinates it to the mind.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Idealism

"I have no hostility to nature, but a child’s love to it. I expand and live in the warm day..."

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 21:45:26 -0400

“I have no hostility to nature, but a child’s love to it. I expand and live in the warm day like corn and melons. Let us speak her fair.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Idealism

"Ethics and religion differ herein; that the one is the system of human duties commencing from man;..."

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 23:44:44 -0400

“Ethics and religion differ herein; that the one is the system of human duties commencing from man; the other, from God. Religion includes the personality of God; Ethics does not. They are one to our present design. They both put nature under foot.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Idealism

"We become physically nimble and lightsome; we tread on air; life is no longer irksome, and we think..."

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 01:06:36 -0400

“We become physically nimble and lightsome; we tread on air; life is no longer irksome, and we think it will never be so. No man fears age or misfortune or death, in their serene company, for he is transported out of the district of change. Whilst we behold unveiled the nature of Justice and Truth, we learn the difference between the absolute and the conditional or relative. We apprehend the absolute. As it were, for the first time, we exist. We become immortal, for we learn that time and space are relations of matter; that, with a perception of truth, or a virtuous will, they have no affinity.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Idealism