Ralph Waldo Emerson

We live by our imagination, our admirations, and our sentiments.

The power of love, as the basis of a State, has never been tried.

Heroism works in contradiction to the voice of mankind and in contradiction, for a time, to the voice of the great and good. Heroism is an obedience to a secret impulse of an individual.

Our spontaneous action is always the best. You cannot, with your best deliberation and heed, come so close to any question as your spontaneous glance shall bring you.

If a man sits down to think, he is immediately asked if has a headache.

The dice of God are always loaded.

You don’t get respect if you don’t deserve it

You are a constant. Forever in my mind; forever in my heart. It seems that most matter how much I try I can’t get rid of you. You are a thorn, stuck in deep; painful to remove, and even when I do, still I’ll bleed and feel the soreness. It will take time, but it will heal. No matter the pain, I will still dare to pick roses.

Their learning is like bread in a besieged town: every man gets a little, but no man gets a full meal.

Justice is my being allowed to do whatever I like. Injustice is whatever prevents my doing so.

City life is millions of people being lonesome together.

Sobriety, severity, and self-respect are the foundations of all true sociality.

To keep your secret is wisdom, but to expect others to keep it is folly.

Many things difficult in design prove easy in performance.

We learn geology the morning after the earthquake.

No change of circumstances can repair a defect of character.

Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too.

Compound for sins they are inclined to by damning those they have no mind to.

If thou art clean and warm, it is sufficient; for more doth but rob the Poor, and please the Wanton.

If I have said something to hurt a man once, I shall not get the better of this by saying many things to please him.

Hate has caused a lot of problems in this world, but it has not solved one yet.