Ralph Waldo Emerson

Fate is nothing but the deeds committed in a prior state of existence.

It makes a great difference in the force of a sentence, whether a man be behind it or no.

Let the stoics say what they please, we do not eat for the good of living, but because the meat is savory and the appetite is keen.

Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.

Who you are speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you’re saying.

The greatest genius is the most indebted person.

The arts and inventions of each period are only its costume, and do not invigorate men.

Never pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel.

An index is a great leveller.

Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.

The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.

The worst solitude is to have no real friendships.

We like a man to come right out and say what he thinks, if we agree with him.

It was wonderful to find America, but it would have been more wonderful to miss it.

Self-pity in its early stages is as snug as a feather mattress. Only when it hardens does it become uncomfortable.

As men’s prayers are a disease of the will, so are their creeds a disease of the intellect.

There is only one duty, only one safe course, and that is to try to be right.

Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time.

Sometimes we are inclined to class those who are once-and-a-half witted with the half-witted, because we appreciate only a third part of their wit.

The great advantage of a hotel is that it is a refuge from home life.

Until we have seen someone’s darkness, we don’t really know who they are. Until we have forgiven someone’s darkness , we don’t really know what love is.