Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American philosopher and essayist who was a pioneer of the transcendentalist movement of the mid-nineteenth century. Some of his most prominent works include Nature and Self-Reliance, which advocate for values including individuality and freedom. Emerson’s essays and philosophy led the way for American literary greats Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau, who followed him, and his contribution to the general American literary canon is legendary. Emerson is still studied by literature students all around the world today; such is his contribution to the generation of writers that followed in his footsteps.

Inspirational Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes

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.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Be Silly, Be Honest, Be Kind.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Love and shall be loved. All love is mathematically just, as much as two sides of an algebric equation.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

To laugh often and love much... to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to give one's self... this is to have succeeded.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The reason why all men honor love is because it looks up, and not down; aspires and not despairs.
- 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

No matter how often you are defeated, you are born to victory.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The first wealth is health.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes about enthusiasm

Enthusiasm is the mother of effort, and without it nothing great was ever achieved.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

What we fear of doing most is usually what we most need to do.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nobody can bring you peace but yourself.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

There are three wants which never can be satisfied: that of the rich, who wants something more; that of the sick, who wants something different; and that of the traveler, who says, Anywhere but here.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson