Mastery of Life: The Self-Help Classics of Ralph Waldo Emerson

by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mitch Horowitz (Reading)

The great writings of American transcendentalist philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) are not some distant ponderings on life - they are works of the highest practicality, intended to supply guidance and daily help. Emerson's ideas arose from his simple observations of human existence, with all its pitfalls and possibilities. Reading and listening to Emerson brings the wisdom of the ages down to earth. This collection is drawn from his most practical and best-loved works. Each points you toward better and fuller ways of living.

"Success"
"Compensation"
"Self-Reliance"
"Spiritual Laws"
"Fate"

Genres: Philosophy

Audio

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in Boston in 1803. Educated at Harvard and the Cambridge Divinity School, he became a Unitarian minister in 1826 at the Second Church Unitarian. The congregation, with Christian overtones, issued communion, something Emerson refused to do. "Really, it is beyond my comprehension," Emerson once said, when asked by a seminary professor whether he believed in God. (Quoted in 2,000 Years of Freethought edited by Jim Haught.) By 1832, after the untimely death of his first wife, Emerson cut loose from Unitarianism. During a year-long trip to Europe, Emerson became acquainted with such intelligentsia as British writer Thomas Carlyle, and poets Wordsworth and Coleridge. He returned to the United States in 1833, to a life as poet, writer and lecturer. Emerson inspired Transcendentalism, although never adopting the label himself. He rejected traditional ideas of deity in favor of an "Over-Soul" or "Form of Good," ideas which were considered highly heretical. His books include Nature (1836), The American Scholar (1837), Divinity School Address (1838), Essays, 2 vol. (1841, 1844), Nature, Addresses and Lectures (1849), and three volumes of poetry. Margaret Fuller became one of his "disciples," as did Henry David Thoreau.

The best of Emerson's rather wordy writing survives as epigrams, such as the famous: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines." Other one- (and two-) liners include: "As men's prayers are a disease of the will, so are their creeds a disease of the intellect" (Self-Reliance, 1841). "The most tedious of all discourses are on the subject of the Supreme Being" (Journal, 1836). "The word miracle, as pronounced by Christian churches, gives a false impression; it is a monster. It is not one with the blowing clover and the falling rain" (Address to Harvard Divinity College, July 15, 1838). He demolished the right wing hypocrites of his era in his essay "Worship": ". . . the louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons" (Conduct of Life, 1860). "I hate this shallow Americanism which hopes to get rich by credit, to get knowledge by raps on midnight tables, to learn the economy of the mind by phrenology, or skill without study, or mastery without apprenticeship" (Self-Reliance). "The first and last lesson of religion is, 'The things that are seen are temporal; the things that are not seen are eternal.' It puts an affront upon nature" (English Traits , 1856). "The god of the cannibals will be a cannibal, of the crusaders a crusader, and of the merchants a merchant." (Civilization, 1862). He influenced generations of Americans, from his friend Henry David Thoreau to John Dewey, and in Europe, Friedrich Nietzsche, who takes up such Emersonian themes as power, fate, the uses of poetry and history, and the critique of Christianity. D. 1882.
Ralph Waldo Emerson was his son and Waldo Emerson Forbes, his grandson.

Reviews

[Jonathan Donihue · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book has the potential to be inspiring and even profound, it falls far short of that mark. Mr Emerson is apparently so convinced of the self-evident nature of his platitudes that he fails to provide reasoning behind his philosophies. That's a dangerous thing for an erudite philosopher to do!

Many of Mr Emerson's philosophies revolve around the theme of individuals thinking for themselves. While this, I believe, is a noble sentiment, it's seems ironic (even hypocritical) when proffered in a book filled primarily with proverbs and platitudes.

It's hard for me to write such a critical review of Emerson's work because, in fact, I agree with many of his conclusions. I must be fair, though. I've made similar comments about writers who's philosophies I detest.

In short: The job of the logician is not to tell people what to think, but to teach them how to think. It's all to easy for people, writers and educators and laypeople alike, to fall in love with our own thoughts; to see our world views reflected in the world around us. We, as writers and educators, must not give in to such narcissistic folly.

If you want someone to believe something, show them how they can test your claim for themselves. Show them your evidence and your line of reasoning. Then...listen. Who knows? Maybe the student will teach the teacher.

[Nico Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

Ralph Waldo Emerson is super interesting, love how he and Thoreau think. My favorite was probably spiritual laws and self-reliance. The others are really interesting too, for example, I also loved compensation, and the topic it talks about is very interesting. I don't know what I expected when I was starting, but that's the best way to do things!

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's strange, Ralph Waldo Emerson is one of my favorite thinkers of all time yet I haven't read any of his works until now.

While this has some gems of insight, I think it takes a few readings to get the most out of it. There is a lot of poetry and references obscured by the age. Regardless, there is something calming about listening to an eloquent speaker reading beautiful old English prose in what could be considered the original self-help book.

My main take aways from Emerson's ideas are that you can't cheat in life, there is no concealing your true nature to others, you must do the hard work, reject conformity, speak the truth, and that which you seek you shall find. In an age where character means nothing and fame means everything, I believe there will be a renaissance of these ideas into the mainstream once we've realized how are current values and habits are making us so unhappy.

Overall, some true nuggets of wisdom buried in complex metaphors and old English that I will almost certainly appreciate as I become older and wiser.

[Marwa · Rating 5 out of 5]

" Do not you look outside"
"Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles"
"To be great is to be misunderstood"

[Infosoph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some gems. Difficult to read in part because of the age of the language.