It makes a great difference in the force of a sentence whether a man be behind it or no. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
We are as much informed of a writer’s genius by what he selects as by what he originates. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
Congratulate yourselves if you have done something strange and extravagant and broken the monotony of a decorous age. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
The world is all gates, all opportunities, strings of tension waiting to be struck. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
A painter told me that nobody could draw a tree without in some sort becoming a tree — Ralph Waldo Emerson
He who has a thousand friends has not a friend to spare, and he who has one enemy will meet him everywhere. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
The moment we indulge our affections, the earth is metamorphosed, there is no winter and no night — Ralph Waldo Emerson
If a man has good corn, or wood, or boards, or pigs to sell, or can make better chairs or knives — Ralph Waldo Emerson
To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children — Ralph Waldo Emerson
Do not waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
What your heart thinks is great, is great. The soul’s emphasis is always right. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
A political victory, a rise in rents, the recovery of your sick, or return of your absent friend — Ralph Waldo Emerson
You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
The good lawyer is not the man who has an eye to every side and angle of contingency — Ralph Waldo Emerson
We must be as courteous to a man as we are to a picture, which we are willing to give the advantage of a good light. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
To speak truly, few adult persons can see nature. Most persons do not see the sun. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
The meaning of good and bad, of better and worse, is simply helping or hurting. — Ralph Waldo Emerson