The end of the human race will be that it will eventually die of civilization.-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
A chief event of life is the day in which we have encountered a mind that startled us.-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matter compared to what lies within us.-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Classic art was the art of necessity: modern romantic art bears the stamp of caprice and chance.-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character.-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts; they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty."-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"There comes a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide."-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
By necessity, by proclivity, and by delight, we all quote. In fact, it is as difficult to appropriate the thoughts of others as it is to invent.-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
If a man carefully examines his thoughts, he will be surprised to find how much he lives in the future. His well-being is always ahead. Such a creature is probably immortal.-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success."-- Ralph Waldo Emerson