Self-Reliance and Other Essays

Self-Reliance and Other Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1841)

"Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string." "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." "To be great is to be misunderstood." The most quoted American essayist — every sentence a proverb.

Historical Significance:
Ralph Waldo Emerson published his first series of Essays in 1841, establishing himself as the intellectual leader of American Transcendentalism and one of the most influential thinkers in American history. "Self-Reliance" — his most famous essay — argues for nonconformity, individual integrity, and trusting one's own intuition over social pressure. Emerson influenced Thoreau, Whitman, Dickinson, Nietzsche, William James, and every subsequent American writer and thinker who valued individualism. His Divinity School Address (1838), in which he challenged organized Christianity, got him banned from Harvard for 30 years. Obama, Jobs, and countless leaders have cited Emerson as foundational.

This public domain classic was originally published in 1841. Free to read and share.