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?
You can't have something without nothing.
Man is important in one sense only. He was made in the image of God: That is his importance. He is not important for his body, ego, or personality. His constant affirmation of ego-consciousness is the source of all his problems.
No intelligent man will ever be so bold as to put into language those things which his reason has contemplated.
There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is a beauty which God grants when by His grace men are born again. That kind of beauty never vanishes but blooms eternally.
Addiction should never be treated as a crime. It has to be treated as a health problem. We do not send alcoholics to jail in this country. Over 500,000 people are in our jails who are nonviolent drug users.
Civilization survives on the constant discovery of amity and an equal supply of damnation.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.