Quote 10: Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes

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In Balanced Achievement’s ‘Quote 10’ series, we highlight 10 quotes about a particular topic or 10 quotes said by a prominent individual. All of the quotes that we illuminate are specifically chosen to increase readers levels of inspiration and motivation. In this article, we focus on one of the 19th century’s most important poets and look at 10 of the best Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes.

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There are few writers of the 19th century whose words of wisdom still ring true as those of Ralph Waldo Emerson. The celebrated poet and essayist was born in 1802 and will forever be remembered as a leading figure in the individualism and transcendentalism movements. For Emerson and other transcendentalists, who were influenced by sacred Hindu writings such as the Upanishads, it was clear to see that there was a basic inherent goodness in both humans and nature. Throughout his life and after his death in 1882, Emerson’s novel ideas and cherished writings would influence other prominent historical figures such as William James and Henry David Thoreau. As the following ten Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes will show, he was a man of great intellectual prowess and a keen intuitive understanding of the world at large:

• “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

• “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

• “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.”

• “Finish each 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. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”

• “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”

• “He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life.”

• “All I have seen teaches me to trust the creator for all I have not seen.”

• “What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.”

• “To get up each morning with the resolve to be happy is to set your own conditions to the events of each day. To do this is to condition circumstances instead of being conditioned by them.”

• “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.”