Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 – 1882
Ralph Waldo Emerson was a 19th-century American essayist, lecturer, and poet, the leading figure of the Transcendentalist movement in New England. His 1841 collection Essays: First Series, including the famous Self-Reliance, articulated a distinctively American philosophy of individualism, self-trust, and openness to nature as a source of spiritual insight. He resigned from his Unitarian ministry in 1832 over doctrinal disagreements and made his living thereafter as a public lecturer on the lyceum circuit. His influence shaped subsequent American thought through Thoreau, Whitman, Dickinson, and a long line of later writers including William James and the pragmatists. His call to original thought against tradition and convention defined the Transcendentalist vision.
Key facts
- Nationality
- American
- Era
- Modern
- Movements
- Transcendentalism
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.”
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Attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.”
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Attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist.”
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Attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles.”
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Attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“Hitch your wagon to a star.”
Quotes that are not actually from Ralph Waldo Emerson
These lines are widely circulated as Ralph Waldo Emerson, but they do not appear in Ralph Waldo Emerson's works. Each entry below identifies the actual source.
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“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
Although universally attributed to Emerson, this line was written by Henry Stanley Haskins in his 1940 book Meditations in Wall Street. The misattribution to Emerson became widespread in the second half of the 20th century but no source for the line has ever been located in any of Emerson's published essays, addresses, journals, or correspondence.
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“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
Although widely circulated as Emerson, this line has not been located in any of his essays, addresses, journals, or letters. Researchers including Quote Investigator have traced the earliest verifiable English appearances to the 20th century. The actual author has not been identified.