Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes about Greatness

What I must do is all that concerns me, not what people think. This rule,equally arduous in actual and intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is the harder, because you

What I must do is all that concerns me, not what people think. This rule,equally arduous in actual and intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is the harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it. It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Learning, Greatness, Men

Ralph Waldo Emerson (2017). “Selected Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson”, p.144, Broadview Press

Before we acquire great power we must acquire wisdom to use it well.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Powerful, Greatness, Use

Ralph Waldo Emerson (2004). “A Dream Too Wild: Emerson Meditations for Every Day of the Year”, Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations

A great man scarcely knows how he dines, how he dresses; but without railing or precision, his living is natural and poetic.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Greatness, Men, Dresses

Ralph Waldo Emerson (2015). “Emerson's Essays: Top Essays”, p.76, 谷月社

As a cure for worrying, work is better than whiskey.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Positive, Work, Greatness

A great man stands on God. A small man on a great man.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

God, Greatness, Men

Why should I cumber myself with regrets that the receiver is not capacious? It never troubles the sun that some of his rays fall wide and vain into ungrateful space, and only a small part on the reflecting planet. Let your greatness educate the crude and cold companion.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Regret, Fall, Greatness

Ralph Waldo Emerson (2015). “Essays”, p.37, Xist Publishing

As long as a man stands in his own way, everything seems to be in his way.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Inspirational, Dream, Greatness

Ralph Waldo Emerson, Bliss Perry (1926). “The Heart of Emerson's Journals”, p.189, Courier Corporation

To different minds, the same world is a hell, and a heaven.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Attitude, Greatness, Heaven

Ralph Waldo Emerson's Journals, December 20, 1822.

Nothing is more simple than greatness; indeed, to be simple is to be great.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Simple, Greatness, Simplicity

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1983). “Essays and Lectures”, p.100, Library of America

Every great man is unique.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Inspirational, Unique, Greatness

Biography/Personal Quotes, www.imdb.com.

He is great who is what he is from nature, and who never reminds us of others.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nature, Greatness

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1850). “Representative Men: Seven Lectures”, p.4

Every individual strives to grow and exclude, to the extremities of the universe, and to impose the law of its being on every other creature.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Greatness, Law, Individual

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1850). “Representative Men: Seven Lectures”, p.21

Greatness is a property for which no man gets credit too soon; it must be possessed long before it is acknowledged.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Greatness, Men, Long

"Journals of Ralph Waldo Emerson".

As soon as there is life there is danger.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Life, Greatness, Danger

Ralph Waldo Emerson (2005). “The Selected Lectures of Ralph Waldo Emerson”, p.301, University of Georgia Press

When nature removes a great man, people explore the horizon for a successor; but none comes, and none will. His class is extinguished with him. In some other and quite different field, the next man will appear.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Success, Nature, Greatness

Ralph Waldo Emerson, Robert Ernest Spiller, Alfred Riggs Ferguson, Wallace E. Williams, Joseph Slater (1987). “The Collected Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson: Representative men: seven lectures”, p.11, Harvard University Press

Pretension may sit still, but cannot act. Pretension never feigned an act of real greatness. Pretension never wrote an Iliad, nordrove back Xerxes, nor christianized the world, nor abolished slavery.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Real, Greatness, World

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1851). “Essays, lectures and orations”, p.73

Men seek to be great; they would have offices, wealth, power, and fame. They think that to be great is to possess one side of nature,--the sweet, without the other side,--the bitter.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sweet, Ambition, Greatness

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1981). “The Portable Emerson: New Edition”, p.140, Penguin

What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think. This rule, equally arduous in actual and in intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Inspirational, Greatness, Thinking

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1983). “Essays and Lectures”, p.263, Library of America

Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Greatness, Doors, Unhappy

We are very near to greatness: one step and we are safe; can we not take the leap?

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Motivational, Greatness, Safety

Ralph Waldo Emerson (2014). “The Heart of Emerson's Journals”, p.170, Courier Corporation

A man in pursuit of greatness feels no little wants.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Greatness, Men, Want

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1872). “The Prose Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson: Representative men. English traits. Conduct of life”, p.396

A man comes to measure his greatness by the regrets, envies and hatreds of his competitors.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Regret, Greatness, Men

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1850). “Representative Men: Seven Lectures”, p.16

The essence of greatness is the perception that virtue is enough.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Humility, Greatness, Essence

Ralph Waldo Emerson (2015). “Emerson's Essays: Top Essays”, p.76, 谷月社

There are days when the great are near us, when there is no frown on their brow, no condescension even; when they take us by the hand, and we share their thought.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Greatness, Hands, Share

Ralph Waldo Emerson (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson (Illustrated)”, p.2464, Delphi Classics