No facts are to me sacred; none are profane; I simply experiment, an endless seeker, with no past at my back.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of curiosity and experimentation in the pursuit of knowledge without being bound by past experiences.
Ralph Waldo Emerson reflects on the nature of knowledge and learning, suggesting that a true seeker of understanding should remain open-minded and willing to explore ideas without being limited by established beliefs or experiences. He advocates for a mindset that values experimentation and continuous inquiry, rather than adhering strictly to societal norms or previously accepted truths.
In practice
Using this quote in a lecture on the importance of scientific inquiry.
It is plain that there is no separate essence called courage, no cup or cell in the brain, no vessel in the heart containing drops or atoms that make or give this virtue; but it is the right or healthy state of every man, when he is free to do that which is constitutional to him to do.
Few people have any next, they live from hand to mouth without a plan, and are always at the end of their line.
Men cease to interest us when we find their limitations
Tis the good reader that makes the good book; a good head cannot read amiss: in every book he finds passages which seem confidences or asides hidden from all else and unmistakeably meant for his ear.
The world belongs to the energetic.
Hast thou named all the birds without a gun?
Their attitude is, 'okay, I am the customer. You are supposed to entertain me.' It's kind of a passive attitude they're taking, and to me it's kind of a pathetic thing. They do not know how interesting it is if you move one step further and try to challenge yourself with more advanced games.
Nothing is often a good thing to do and always a good thing to say.
Other people's views and troubles can be contagious. Don't sabotage yourself by unwittingly adopting negative, unproductive attitudes through your associations with others.
Donβt be vain because you happen to have talent. You are not responsible for that; it was not of your doing. What you do with your talent is what matters.
Yes great people are always subject to persecution and always getting into straits.
The mind is responsible for the feelings of pleasure and pain. Control of the mind is the highest Yoga.
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