Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose original profession and calling was as a Unitarian minister, left the ministry to pursue a career in writing and public speaking. Emerson became one of America's best known and best loved 19th century figures.
Text & Quotes of Emerson
Learn from one of the greatest writers and poets in America history. The most famous work, Ralph Waldo Emerson Self-Reliance can truly change your life for the better.
Other famous works are The American Scholar summary, The Lord's Supper, Nature, St. Augustine Confessions, Harvard Divinity School Address, and his collection of poems.
Learn MoreDiscussion on Emerson
From these pages, open discussions on Emerson, his work, his life, and how you can improve yours from this beloved author and poet.
Learn MoreWhy No Annoying Ads?
There is nothing worse than a great web resource cluttered with ads or the never-ending clicking "Next" to read all the content. Instead, the following companies stepped forward; send them a "high-five" via Twitter!
My grandfather always taught me to respect others, because every person I met could teach me something worthwhile that I didn't know. It wasn't until later in life I realized that Emerson had coined this saying. "Every man is my superior in that I may learn from him."
Michael Haynes
Business and Leadership
The wisdom that is Emerson has been a strong impact on my career and in my roles as a father and husband. His advice is timeless. "Self Reliance" was the first work of Emerson's that I read and I still read it every year.
Ron Halversen
Clarity Ventures
"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." That quote has been inspirational to me and my business. I've taken risks and fallen, but I always get back up stronger than before.
Les Cseh
ASAP Checks
I recently attended an important dinner meeting with a potential new client. I reminded myself to be calm, watch my non-verbal cues and maintain eye contact. I learned these important items when reading Ralph Waldo Emerson's "The Conduct of Life". The essay emphasized the importance of "Behavior" and to celebrate "the wonderful expressiveness of the human body".
Heather Paige
Diet Food Delivery Service 
"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." To think Emerson uttered these words nearly two centuries ago and yet it is the perfect advice for today's youth.
Alyssa Gonzalez
TLC Graduate Credits
I read Emerson's Self Reliance as a teen for English class. It didn't click for me at the time, but as I got older I found myself remembering bits and pieces. It's been a sort of backbone to my adult life that I've returned to again and again when I needed (self) guidance.
Melissa Anderson
Sensory Edge
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Every business owner would be wise to heed Emerson's words.
Caleb Hunter
PuppyWire
What I remember most about Emerson is he said not to worry about what has happened in the past, or what may happen in the future, but focus on that which dwells deep within you.
Derek Mills
Shoptimized
Emerson taught that character in a person is higher than intellect. To me and my family, character, along with honesty, courtesy, excellence and hard work is everything.
Wade Lombard
Square Cow Movers
Discussion on Emerson
This section includes the lectures given by Emerson and also includes various biographies on his life and those close to Emerson. Sovereignty of Ethics and Mary Moody Emerson are included.
This section covers poems written early in Emerson’s career which some are not widely known. Fifty poems are available, including The Rhodora.
This is a collection of writings, addresses, essays, and reviews by Emerson. Included are his famous works, The Last Supper.
The section does not cover the history and life of Emerson and his writings, but rather his work entitled “History.”
People Influenced By Emerson
Margaret Fuller
She was a women's rights advocate associated with the American transcendentalism movement which RWE was also a part of. Her given name was Sarah Margaret Fuller Ossoli. She was also an American journalist. She was born May 23, 1810, in Cambridgeport, Cambridge, Massachusetts. She died July 19, 1850, at Fire Island, New York.
Quotes associated with Fuller:
"Today a reader, tomorrow a leader."
"If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it."
"Very early, I know that the only object in life was to grow."
Henry David Thoreau
He was an American essayist, a poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, and historian. He was born July 12, 1817, in Concord, Massachusetts, and given the name David Henry, but would later change it to Henry David as he felt it sounded more like a writer. He died May 6, 1862, also in Concord, Massachusetts. He was 45 years old at the time of his death.
His well-known essays were Civil Disobedience and Life Without Principle. He was educated at the Concord Academy and Harvard University.
Quotes associated with Thoreau:
"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.
"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."
"Our life is frittered away by detail...simplify, simplify."