Quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson

The louder they talked of their honor, the faster we counted our spoons.??? ?????? ??? ?????????????????? ? ????? ?????????, ??? ??????? ?? ????????????? ?????.

Lo que haces resuena con tal fuerza por encima de tu cabeza, que no me deja oír lo que dices.

The unity of humanity can be explained in a mystical way, as Emerson did with his term "over-soul" (see below); but it can also be put into scientific terms. Science has revealed that all human beings belong to one species, with the same anatomy and brain structure. We're all part of one family; descended, in fact, from one common ancestor. Racial and cultural differences are only secondary and surface—the unity of humanity is primary and fundamental.

We do what we must, and call it by the best names.

Don't choose the better person, choose the person who makes a better you.

In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man, in spite of real sorrows. Nature says, — he is my creature, and [in spite of] all his impertinent griefs, he shall be glad with me.

The soul is what knows—and draws us towards—truth, beauty, and goodness. Moreover, for Emerson, each person's soul is only a part of the great, universal "over-soul." He describes the soul as a vast ocean, with our individual souls being tiny inlets into the shore. Individuality is an illusion—really, we're all connected, like fingers extending from one hand.

Beauty, in its largest and profoundest sense, is one expression for the universe. God is the all-fair. Truth, and goodness, and beauty, are but different faces of the same All. But beauty in nature is not ultimate. It is the herald of inward and eternal beauty, and is not alone a solid and satisfactory good. It must stand as a part, and not as yet the last or highest expression of the final cause of Nature.

Nature arms each man with some faculty which enables him to do easily some feat impossible to any other, and thus makes him necessary to society. This native determination guides his labor and his spending. He wants an equipment of means and tools proper to his talent. And to save on this point were to neutralize the special strength and helpfulness of each mind. Do your work, respecting the excellence of the work, and not its acceptableness.

Let us honestly state the facts. Our America has a bad name for superficialness. Great men, great nations have not been boasters and buffoons, but perceivers of the terror of life, and have manned themselves to face it.

We dare not trust our wit for making our house pleasant to our friend, so we buy ice cream.

This charm is wasted on the earth and sky, Tell them, dear, that, if eyes were made for seeing, Then beauty is its own excuse for Being; Why thou wert there, O rival of the rose!

Jesus spoke of miracles because he saw all of life as miraculous. Miracles appear to us as the eyes of our hearts are opened, and we see clearly. But, as defined by the churches, a miracle is a monstrosity—something contrary to nature, rather than in harmony with it.  Jesus respected Moses and the Hebrew prophets, but didn't limit himself to repeating their insights. He spoke from the heart, not from a book, and brought forth a new revelation: the divinity of the soul.

Poverty consists in feeling poor.

In the words of a great writer, we find our own neglected thoughts.

Far off, men swell, bully and threaten: bring them hand to hand, and they are a feeble folk.

And evermore in the world is this marvellous balance of beauty and disgust, magnificence and rats.

The good are befriended even by weakness and defect. As no man had ever a point of pride that was not injurious to him so no man had ever a defect that was not somewhat made useful to him. ...Every man in his lifetime needs to thank his faults...

If peace is to be maintained, it must be by brave men, who have come up to the same height as the hero, namely, the will to carry their life in their hand, and stake it at any instant for their principle, but who have gone one step beyond the hero, and will not seek another man's life.

Finish every 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.

The misery of man appears like childish petulance, when we explore the steady and prodigal provision that has been made for his support and delight on this green ball which floats him through the heavens.

That which we object to in others is often experiment for ourselves.

curiosity and command attention, attracting us first by their beauty.

sturdy lad from New Hampshire or Vermont, who in turn tries all the professions, who teams it, farms it, peddles, keeps a school, preaches, edits a newspaper, goes to Congress, buys a township, and so forth, in successive years, and always like a cat falls on his feet, is worth a hundred of these city dolls.