Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes
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. The quotes below are attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, organized by topic.
Ralph Waldo Emerson on Freedom
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Attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson on Happiness
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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.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson on Knowledge
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Attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“Make your own Bible. Select and collect all the words and sentences that in all your readings have been to you like the blast of a trumpet.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson on Life
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Attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“Hitch your wagon to a star.”
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Attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson on Love
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Attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“The only way to have a friend is to be one.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson on Mind
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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.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson on Nature
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Attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson on Virtue
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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:
“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
Things actually not said by Ralph Waldo Emerson
A number of widely-shared lines are circulated as Ralph Waldo Emerson but are in fact from someone else. Did Ralph Waldo Emerson say these? No. Each entry below pairs the line with the person who actually wrote it.
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Did Ralph Waldo Emerson say this? No.
“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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Did Ralph Waldo Emerson say this? No.
“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.