Quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson

There is no one who does not exaggerate. In conversation, men are encumbered with personality, and talk too much. In modern sculpture, picture, and poetry, the beauty is miscellaneous; the artist works here and there, and at all points, adding and adding, instead of unfolding the unit of his thought.

'T is a rule of manners to avoid exaggeration.

Every vice is only an exaggeration of a necessary & virtuous function.

Exaggeration is in the course of things. Nature sends no creature, no man into the world, without adding a small excess of his proper quality. Given the planet, it is still necessary to add the impulse; so, to every creature nature added a little violence of direction in its proper path, a shove to put it on its way; in every instance, a slight generosity, a drop too much.

We aim above the mark, to hit the mark. Every act hath some falsehood of exaggeration in it.

He has not learned the lesson of life who does not every day surmount a fear.

An identity long ago observed, or, I may say, never not observed, as if the gardener among his vines is in the presence of his ancestors, or shall I say, the orchardist is a pear raised to the highest power.

Sorrow makes us all children again, — destroys all differences of intellect. The wisest knows nothing.

Can anything be so elegant as to have few wants and to serve them one's self, so as to have somewhat left to give, instead of being always prompt to grab?

The highest compact we can make with our fellow, is, — 'Let there be truth between us two forevermore.'

People that seem so glorious are all show; underneath they are like everyone else.

We denote this primary wisdom as Intuition, whilst all later teachings are tuitions.

As much wisdom may be expended on a private economy as on an empire, and as much wisdom may be drawn from it.

To make knowledge valuable, you must have the cheerfulness of wisdom.

There is a certain wisdom of humanity which is common to the greatest men with the lowest, and which our ordinary education oftenlabors to silence and obstruct.

Consideration is the soil in which wisdom may be expected to grow, and strength be given to every up-springing plant of duty.

[Gratitude is] the cheerfulness of wisdom.

To educate the wise man, the State exists; and with the appearance of the wise man, the State expires. The appearance of charactermakes the state unnecessary. The wise man is the State.

We judge of a man's wisdom by his hope, knowing that the inexhaustibleness of nature is an immortal youth.

The faith that stands on authority is not faith.

As to methods, there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods.

Men talk as if victory were something fortunate. Work is victory.

In every society some men are born to rule, and some to advise.

The true test of civilization is not the census, nor the size of cities, nor the crops - no, but the kind of man the country turns out.