And truly it demands something god like in him who has cast off the common motives of humanity, and has ventured to trust himself for a taskmaster. High be his heart, faithful his will, clear his sight, that he may in good earnest be doctrine, society, law, to himself, that a simple purpose may be to him as strong as iron necessity is to others!
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the extraordinary strength required for an individual to live independently, guided by personal values rather than societal norms.
Ralph Waldo Emerson suggests that true greatness lies in the ability of an individual to transcend common human motivations and to rely on oneself as the ultimate authority. This involves possessing a strong heart, a faithful will, and clear vision, allowing one to create their own doctrines and laws. Such self-reliance enables a person to pursue their purpose with the same determination that others have for survival.
In practice
In a motivational speech about self-discovery, one could use this quote to encourage individuality.
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?
Some of the best people that ever lived have been as destitute as I am; and if you are a Christian, you ought not to consider poverty a crime.
Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.
To know that nothing happens in God's world apart from God's will may frighten the godless, but it stabilizes the saints.
The paranoiac is the exact image of the ruler. The only difference is their position in the world. One might even think the paranoiac the more impressive of the two because he is sufficient unto himself and cannot be shaken by failure.
The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.
Make sure that your religion is a matter between you and God only.
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