The 80 best phrases of Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson was a celebrated American writer and philosopher, born in the well-known city of Boston, Massachusetts, during the year 1803.

Being the leader of the movement called "Transcendentalism", Waldo Emerson can be considered as one of the most interesting philosophers who lived during the nineteenth century. During his career as a philosopher he wrote abundant prose and also a great deal of poetry, something that undoubtedly made him over the years an extremely prolific writer.

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Famous quotes by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Throughout his life he traveled the world absorbing all that knowledge that he had within his reach and in this way he accumulated great wisdom, which he would later translate into his writings.

In the text that you will find below you can enjoy the 80 best phrases of Ralph Waldo Emerson, who is most likely the best known philosopher of his time.

1. Don't go where the path leads you, go where there is no path and leave a trail.

The bravest people do not need anyone to tell them the path to take, they are able to create a path where there was none before.

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

In order to be happy we must put all negative emotions aside, if we become obsessed with them we will never advance on our path to happiness.

3. The creation of a thousand forests is within an acorn.

Every long road begins with a first step, if we are patient little by little we will make our dreams come true.

4. Envy is ignorance, imitation is suicide.

The lives of others should not matter to us, all our efforts should be focused on trying to maximize our own life.

5. To be great is to be misunderstood.

When we achieve great goals there will always be someone who tries to discredit us, we must turn a deaf ear to the words of those who really do not know us.

6. It is easy to live for others, everyone does it. I ask you to live for yourself.

Our life always has to be the highest priority for us, because if we don't fight to achieve our goals, nobody will do it for us.

7. The mind, once stretched out by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions.

With the passage of time the mind will only expand, each experience that we live, no matter how small, will offer us a new understanding of life.

8. The invariable mark of wisdom is seeing the miraculous in the common.

He who is wise enough knows that even in the smallest things we can observe truly miraculous phenomena. Life, for example, is always born very small.

9. Successful is the person who has lived well, laughed often and loved a lot, who has earned the respect of children, who leaves the world better than what he found it, that he has never lacked appreciation for the beauty of the earth, that he never stops seeking the best in others or giving his best same.

In this quote, Waldo Emerson tries to tell us how we should live our life, always having the main premise of improving the world in which we find ourselves.

10. Be silly. Be honest. Be nice.

You don't have to be smart to be a good person. The values ​​do not have to be associated with the intelligence.

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

Some people think that it is better to live a short and intense life, than a long and irrelevant one, something that this writer also believed.

12. Nature and books belong to the eyes that see them.

Wisdom may be around the corner, but it will be up to us to go looking for it.

13. Although we travel the world to find the beautiful, we must take it with us, or we cannot find it.

When in the past a discovery was made, it had to be exposed for it to become relevant. If a scientist found a new species, the first thing he always had to do was capture it.

14. Our main desire is someone who inspires us to be what we know we could be.

We all want to find that person who drives us in our lives, who loves us with our defects and knows how to enhance the virtues we have.

15. A hero is not braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave for five more minutes.

Fear is common in all people, but the one who is brave will have enough courage to be able to control the fear of it.

16. People don't seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character.

Our character and also our personality, make our perception of the world is skewed. We all have a personal point of view, which makes us see the world in a certain way.

17. All the artists were first amateurs.

Nobody is born mastering a technique, even Leonardo Da Vinci had to learn at some point in his youth from him.

18. When friendships are real, they are not threads of glass or frost, but the most solid things we can know.

Real friendships can last a lifetime, something that makes them one of the greatest treasures we can possess.

19. Happiness is a perfume that cannot be poured on others without first getting one for yourself.

For those around us to be happy, we must be happy too. If we want to spread happiness to others, we must be carriers of it.

20. 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 changed course in your quest for abundance. Success comes from within, not from without.

We must not get carried away by the established canons, if we wish we can live life in a way that is consistent with our thoughts.

21. Live in the sun, swim in the sea, breathe the wild air.

Nature can help us recharge our batteries, being in contact with it can be very beneficial for us mentally and spiritually.

22. Do what you fear and the death of fear is certain.

If we dare to live fully, those things that frightened us the most will be forgotten.

23. Make your own Bible. He selects and collects all the words and sentences that in all his readings you have liked like the sound of a trumpet.

Certain appointments can help us motivate ourselves in our day-to-day lives, having them written down can be useful for our moments of greatest emotional weakness.

24. In a library, we are surrounded by hundreds of dear friends imprisoned by a charmer in paper and leather boxes.

Having access to a library can give us the great opportunity to learn all those arts or sciences that interest us the most.

25. Nothing can bring you peace except yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles.

Inner peace is an emotional state that in order to achieve it we must deepen ourselves. Well, only by knowing and accepting ourselves will we be able to have access to it.

26. Life is short, but there is always enough time for courtesy.

Courtesy is a clear sign of good manners, with it we will be able to show a better version of ourselves.

27. For all that you have lost, you have gained something else, and for all that you gain, you lose something else.

Life never stops giving us and taking things away from us, but it will always be the great losses from which we will learn the most.

28. Do not be the slave of your own past: dive into the sublime seas, dive deep and nothing, like this you will return with a new self-respect, with a new power and with a superior experience that will explain and go through high the old.

Experiences improve us as individuals, we will learn from them but they do not have to decide what kind of person we will be in the future.

29. Life is a series of surprises and it wouldn't be worth taking or saving if it weren't.

Uncertainty in life can be a great motivation, as the possibility of a better future may always be a feasible option.

30. We are always preparing to live, but we never live.

Many of us are too focused on the future and forget to live in the present, if we want to be happier we must learn to live the other way around. The present is the only moment in all creation, over which we really have control.

31. Expressionless beauty is boring.

The true beauty of people is found in their personality, thanks to it even those who are not physically attractive can become truly magnetic individuals.

32. Even in the mud and scum of things, there is always something, there is always melody.

From the worst situations we can also extract uplifting experiences, in life everything can have a positive aspect if we know how to find it.

33. The years teach a lot, the days you never know.

Over time we acquire knowledge that builds us as individuals. Those experiences from which we will learn the most, it is something very common that we need time to be able to understand them.

34. Be kind to your work, your word, and your friend.

That attitude that we adopt towards life will be the same that we receive from it. If you want life to treat you fairly, you must also be fair to others.

35. What is an herb? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.

We manage to extract a large number of beneficial properties from plants, current medicine would not be possible without the great knowledge we have about them.

36. Bad times have a scientific value. These are occasions that a good student would not miss.

The most complicated situations are the ones we will learn the most from, if we are smart enough we will get out of them strengthened.

37. A boy is a disheveled, dimpled lunatic.

Children have not yet fully formed their character and personality, without a doubt they will need a certain time and receive a good education, to be able to develop correctly.

38. Of all the ways to lose a person, death is the kindest.

An idea that we may not all agree on, death is for many people the worst of farewells.

39. We acquire the strength of what we have overcome.

When we overcome great difficulties, we become aware of what we are really capable of doing in the most difficult moments, a fact that will undoubtedly help us in the future.

40. Whatever you do, you need courage. Whichever course you choose, there is always someone who will tell you that you are wrong. Difficulties always arise that tempt you to believe that its critics are right. Charting a course of action and following it to the end requires the same courage that a soldier needs.

Life can always bring us difficulties, but if we are brave and have enough faith, we will undoubtedly achieve our goal.

41. The adornment of a house are the friends who frequent it.

Our friendships can turn our house into a true home, perhaps even over time they will become our family.

42. You are constantly invited to be what you are.

If we are not true to ourselves, we cannot be true to others. Honesty must be one of the main premises in our life.

43. Write in your heart that every day is the best day of the year.

Today can be a good day if we have faith in it. Our attitude often determines the type of luck we will have.

44. Life is a journey not a destination.

Everything positive that happens to us in life will always be in its course. At the end of the day all of us will have the same ending.

45. Cultivate the habit of being thankful for every good thing that comes your way, and continually give thanks. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you must include all things in your gratitude.

Being grateful can help us transmit our values, something that those around us will surely appreciate.

46. Make the most of yourself… Because that's all you have.

We should be proud of ourselves. Well, although we all have defects, we also have great qualities that we may not have developed until now.

47. There is creative reading as well as creative writing.

Reading is an activity that can be very beneficial to us, thanks to it we can develop our imagination to unsuspected limits.

48. On my walks, every man I meet is my superior in some way, and that is why I learn from him.

We can extract enriching experiences from all those around us, as long as we are able to appreciate them.

49. Few people know how to take a walk. The requirements are stamina, simple clothing, old shoes, an eye for nature, good humor, great curiosity, good speech, good silence, and nothing more.

Walking is a fantastic activity that can activate our metabolism and can also help us clarify our ideas.

50. I hate dating. Tell me what you know.

Waldo Emerson did not like when someone spoke using third party quotes, what he really wanted to know is how that person in front of him thought.

51. Nothing external to you has power over you.

If we really do not want it, neither society nor third parties will be able to manipulate us. As human beings we are fully capable of being able to live by our own standards.

52. Sometimes a cry is better than a thesis.

Clarity should always be valued and as this writer tells us, on certain occasions a scream can be the most correct form of expression.

53. Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm.

In order to achieve great things, we must give the best of ourselves. For nothing extraordinary was ever achieved without great effort.

54. Adopt the rhythm of nature: her secret is patience.

Nature can help us calm our spirits, being in contact with it can be very beneficial for us.

55. Without ambition, one does not start anything. Without work, you don't finish anything. The prize will not come to you. You have to earn it.

If we want to achieve something in life we ​​will have to fight for it, life is a process that never gives anything away.

56. Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.

If we are convinced that we will achieve what we want so much, it will most likely be so. Conviction can be a very powerful motivational force.

57. Some books set us free and some books set us free.

Thanks to reading we can acquire a series of knowledge that expands our vision of the world. Something that we will undoubtedly appreciate all our lives.

58. A silly consistency is the goblin of little minds.

Those who do not have a highly developed mind are the easiest to convince. When an intelligent person develops an idea and delves into it, very rarely will we be able to convince him of his wrong approach.

59. Peace has its victories, but brave men and women are needed to win them.

Peace is totally necessary for a state to develop in its maximum fullness, as intelligent men we must try to preserve it no matter what happens.

60. There is another reason to dress well, namely that dogs respect you, and will not attack you in good clothes.

A very funny phrase from this great writer and philosopher, animals are fully capable of looking far beyond the clothes we wear.

61. It's one of the blessings of old friends; that you can afford to be stupid with them.

When we are with our friends we can be ourselves, something that we certainly do not usually do when we are surrounded by strangers.

62. The only person you are meant to be is the person you decide to be.

Our life belongs to us and in it we will become the person we really want to be.

63. Each wall is a door.

A seemingly impossible situation to overcome, it may perhaps be the prelude to a better future. You never know what life will surprise you with.

64. The wise man in the storm prays to God not for safety from danger, but for deliverance from fear.

If we have faith, we don't have to be afraid. Well, thanks to it, we will be able to overcome any adversity that life imposes on us.

65. Fiction reveals the truth that reality obscures.

Through the use of fiction, artists can unleash their imagination, many times embodying certain ideas, which are found in the collective mind of society.

66. The secret of education lies in respecting the student. It is not your role to choose what he will learn, what he will do.

The student-teacher treatment must be correct on both sides, a good teacher should never lower himself to the level of his students.

67. When you were born, you were crying and everyone else was smiling. Live your life so in the end, you are the one smiling and everyone else is crying.

A great phrase that we should all remember, life is very short so let's make the most of it.

68. Fear always springs from ignorance.

The fear of the unknown has been there since the beginning of time, a fear that arises from the ignorance that those first men possessed.

69. None of us will accomplish anything great or overbearing except when he hears this whisper that only he will hear.

The world of ideas is very mysterious, maybe one day we will have one that changes our life forever.

70. Love, and you will be loved.

If we want others to love us, we must love them too.

71. He who is in love is wise and is becoming wiser, he sees every time he looks at the loved object, he draws from it with his eyes and mind the virtues it possesses.

When we are in love with a person, we will only see positive aspects in him. As is commonly said, we will look at that person with good eyes.

72. Common sense is a genius dressed in his work clothes.

We all have a certain common sense that can avoid us more than one problem in life, some people have it more developed than others.

73. Life is a succession of lessons that must be lived to be understood.

Those experiences that we live in life are what shape us as individuals, with them we will eventually become the person we should be.

74. People only see what they are willing to see.

Our point of view offers us a biased vision of life, a vision that in order to be changed we must do our part.

75. Sadness looks back, worry looks around, faith looks up.

As this quote tells us, if we have faith, the future can be much brighter than the present.

76. The earth laughs at flowers.

Nature is wonderful, thanks to it people can enjoy really beautiful events, such as the arrival of spring.

77. My best thoughts were stolen by the ancients.

The ancients reached really advanced conclusions for their time, thanks to them science evolved to a great extent.

78. The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kind smile, nor the joy of companionship; It is the spiritual inspiration that comes to you when you discover that someone else believes in you and is willing to entrust you with a friendship.

Our friendships can be a great support in life, because thanks to them we will have the fantastic opportunity to make many of our goals come true.

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

Acts are much more important than words, people unfortunately in most cases, do not usually lead the life that they preach.

80. I cannot remember the books I have read any more than the foods I have eaten; still, they did to me.

All the small acts that we perform form us as individuals, although today we may not even remember them.