Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes (page 5)

1803–1882, American Poet, Essayist
quotes
693
topics
12
Origin
What do these mean?
Topic
“The eyes indicate the antiquity of the soul.”
Eyes
“It is not length of life, but depth of life.”
Life and Living
“There is a crack in everything God has made.”
God
“The years teach us much the days never knew.”
Learning
“You cannot do wrong without suffering wrong.”
Reality
“Great geniuses have the shortest biographies.”
VerifiedRepresentative Men (1850) · evidenceBiography
“There is properly no history; only biography.”
Biography
“'Tis a rule of manners to avoid exaggeration.”
Exaggeration
“The world is his who has money to go over it.”
VerifiedThe Conduct of Life (1860) · evidenceMoney
“That man is idle who can do something better.”
Idleness
“Good manners are made up of petty sacrifices.”
Manners
“Valor consists in the power of self recovery.”
Valor
“Why should we be cowed by the name of Action?.”
Action
“When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.”
MisattributedNot by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Earliest known source: Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present (1843). · evidenceDifficulties
“Science does not know its debt to imagination.”
VerifiedLetters and Social Aims (1876) · evidenceImagination
“Every sweet has its sour; every evil its good.”
Opposites
“Commit a crime, and the earth is made of glass.”
Crime and Criminals
“Nothing external to you has any power over you.”
Control
“Envy is the tax which all distinction must pay.”
Envy
“There is always a best way of doing everything.”
VerifiedThe Conduct of Life (1860) · evidenceExcellence
“Every man is an impossibility until he is born.”
Impossibility
“It is very hard to be simple enough to be good.”
Goodness
“A good indignation brings out all one's powers.”
VerifiedJournals (1822–1863), 1841 · evidencePower
“The creation of a thousand forest in one acorn.”
Power
“Let us be poised, and wise, and our own, today.”
Wisdom
“Without a rich heart, wealth is an ugly beggar.”
Wealth
“The course of everything goes to teach us faith.”
Faith
“The faith that stands on authority is not faith.”
DisputedNo reliable early source found for Ralph Waldo Emerson. · evidenceFaith