The search after the great men is the dream of youth, and the most serious occupation of manhood.
Interpretation
The pursuit of greatness is a youthful aspiration that becomes a profound commitment in adulthood.
In this quote, Ralph Waldo Emerson reflects on the journey of an individual's life, suggesting that the youthful desire to seek out greatness is not merely a fleeting dream but evolves into a significant and serious endeavor during manhood. This search signifies an ongoing quest for inspiration and ideals that can shape and define one's existence, implying that the ideals we pursue in youth frame the responsibilities and pursuits we undertake in adulthood.
In practice
In a speech about personal growth, one could use this quote to inspire the audience to pursue their ideals.
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?
Only one enemy is worse than despair: indifference. In every area of human creativity, indifference is the enemy; indifference of evil is worse than evil, because it is also sterile.
One must shy away from questionable undertakings, even when they bear a high-sounding name.
It is as commendable to think well of oneself when alone, as it is ridiculous to speak well of oneself among others.
Essentialism is not about how to get more things done, it's about how to the get the right things done. It doesn't mean just doing less for the sake of less either. It is about making the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at our highest point of contribution by doing only what is essential.
A man who fears suffering is already suffering from what he fears.
None of my peers avoided prison. None of 'em.
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