Ralph Waldo Emerson on Self-Reliance

Ralph Waldo Emerson was one of the great minds of the mid-nineteenth century. His thoughts and views led the Transcendentalist movement, and his writings—especially Self-Reliance—taught people to “trust thyself” and see how their self-worth was more important than anything else.

Emerson on Self-Reliance is a wonderful collection of writings that will teach not only how to have a better perception of the world, but also how you are capable of having a better perception of yourself. “To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men—that is genius.”

With quotes and excerpts from Emerson’s poems, essays, and other writings, Emerson on Self-Reliance will not only open your eyes to the brilliant mind that he was, but hopefully help you look inside to see how great you really are and, as stated before, to “trust thyself.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1809–1882) was a famous poet, essayist, and philosopher who led the Transcendentalist movement in the mid-nineteenth century. His well-known essays include Self-Reliance, The Over-Soul, Circles, The Poet, and Experience. Known as a mentor to writer Henry David Thoreau, Emerson inspired and influenced an entire generation and continues to change the way we think and view the world.