Ralph Waldo Emerson
1803 - 1882
5
Quotes
Biography
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. Born in 1803 in Boston, Massachusetts, Emerson studied at Harvard and became a minister in 1829. However, he left the ministry to pursue a career in writing and public speaking. His essays, such as 'Self-Reliance' and 'Nature,' promoted individualism, self-improvement, and the beauty of nature. Emerson's ideas greatly influenced American thought and literature, earning him a prominent place in the intellectual history of the United States.
Famous Quotes (5)
1
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
2
To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.
3
For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.
4
The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.
5
To be great is to be misunderstood.