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Self-Reliance: The Wisdom of Ralph Waldo Emerson as Inspiration for Daily Living
A finely honed abridgement of Emerson's principal essays with an introduction that clarifies the essence of Emerson's ideas and establishes their relevance to our own troubled era. This is the first truly accessible edition of Emerson's work, revealing him to be one of America's wisest teachers.
208 pages, Paperback
First published November 5, 1991
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About the author
Ralph Waldo Emerson
3,409 books5,354 followersRalph 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
May 14, 2020
It’s a tough read and the inspiring quotes few but they are golden:
“What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think. This rule, equally arduous in actual and in intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is the harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it. It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.”
“What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think. This rule, equally arduous in actual and in intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is the harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it. It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.”
November 9, 2014
Let me assure the reader that although all of the above may make it sound as though I have changed Emerson beyond recognition, that is by no means the case." -Richard Whelan, Editor
Mr. Whelan, as good as his intentions may have been, rendered Emerson's essays unreadable for me. No editor, after four pages detailing what he or she has changed in the text, should need to assuage the reader of a concern that the original author is no longer present. Those concerns should never arise in the first place! The end result of Whelan's surgical endeavor was a choppy collection of "best of" passages which instead of "mak[ing] Emerson more accessible to the modern reader" (pg. 40), truly disjoint whatever cohesion Emerson may have once had. Readers are left to make transitions and link ideas instead of being guided through his ideas.
Perhaps when I picked up this book I did not understand fully what it was intended to be. After all, its hook shamelessly admits to being a "beautifully distilled version" of the originals. For this, I take a certain amount of responsibility for being disappointed; this was not intended to be a collection of Emerson's essays. Even still, I wonder if The Wisdom of Ralph Waldo Emerson as Inspiration for Daily Living is any better than the individual quotes attributed to RWE floating around the internet.
Mr. Whelan, as good as his intentions may have been, rendered Emerson's essays unreadable for me. No editor, after four pages detailing what he or she has changed in the text, should need to assuage the reader of a concern that the original author is no longer present. Those concerns should never arise in the first place! The end result of Whelan's surgical endeavor was a choppy collection of "best of" passages which instead of "mak[ing] Emerson more accessible to the modern reader" (pg. 40), truly disjoint whatever cohesion Emerson may have once had. Readers are left to make transitions and link ideas instead of being guided through his ideas.
Perhaps when I picked up this book I did not understand fully what it was intended to be. After all, its hook shamelessly admits to being a "beautifully distilled version" of the originals. For this, I take a certain amount of responsibility for being disappointed; this was not intended to be a collection of Emerson's essays. Even still, I wonder if The Wisdom of Ralph Waldo Emerson as Inspiration for Daily Living is any better than the individual quotes attributed to RWE floating around the internet.
December 17, 2014
I can only read this book in fits and starts. RWE is powerful, crammed with import, and it's as if each sentence is a lightning bolt. I hope I never write with this much power. Such wonderful ideas, so fascinating to think on. Totally recommend that you pick this up and flip through it every 6 months as I do. For the rest of my life, probably.
March 21, 2020
Sometimes it takes you a long time to read a particular book. This is not one of them. First to last page, read in a day. This book made me smile and reflect.
December 22, 2024
I've outgrown Emerson and his Self-Reliance, which pains me to give this two-star review.
Emerson was a kind of Malcolm Gladwell/Dale Carnegie idiot who first brought the disease of individuality to America, insisting on a world entirely controllable through personal actions—a phenomenon known as Solipsism. Unfortunately, you can also trace this distinct sense of stupidity to Nietzsche.
As much as I hate the ideas of this man, I will give credit where it is due and applaud what is top-tier prose.
It's sad to see the classics being pushed out of bookstores in favor of popular fiction, but Emerson is one we shouldn't miss.
Emerson was a kind of Malcolm Gladwell/Dale Carnegie idiot who first brought the disease of individuality to America, insisting on a world entirely controllable through personal actions—a phenomenon known as Solipsism. Unfortunately, you can also trace this distinct sense of stupidity to Nietzsche.
As much as I hate the ideas of this man, I will give credit where it is due and applaud what is top-tier prose.
It's sad to see the classics being pushed out of bookstores in favor of popular fiction, but Emerson is one we shouldn't miss.
March 1, 2021
Incredibly insightful! Emerson's essay reminds us of the consistency of human nature. It's unfortunate that mankind contemplates the same philosophies over and over again in a million different ways, and yet so many of us still don't get it. I'm 100% dedicated to self-reliance. This is a major component of my upcoming book, 5-Star Career (Fall 2021, Productivity Press). Everyone should read this Emerson essay once a year - perhaps in January.
September 17, 2021
It was decent read but still very difficult to read. I understood some of it but I was also confused a lot. I guess I'm not much of a philosopher. Emerson said some very important things which still hold true today, even though it was written in 1841.
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December 21, 2021This remains under currently reading because I enjoy reviewing some of the best writing I've ever known. Inspiration for daily living, yes, please.
April 28, 2022
Will have to come back to this, finished it but did not take it all in. Liked bits of it think I will get more out of it down the road.
June 4, 2022
Just phenomenal. A bookshelf must.
June 24, 2022
Definitely an all-time favorite nonfiction book. 5 stars both reads.
June 29, 2022
Beautiful daily inspirations!
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October 26, 2022kind of sartre like
June 25, 2023
It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.
October 8, 2023
Read this for AP Lang and really enjoyed the messages that Emerson was portraying. Made me want to be more ambitious and carefree!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2022
My personal philosophy is aligned with Emerson’s on most points and I really enjoyed the nuggets of timeless, insightful wisdom scattered throughout this collection of his essays! Some chapters held more value for me personally than others based on my own interests and life experience. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I would not consider it a light or easy read! It’s beautifully written, but at times the prose is difficult to understand. I often had to reread the same few lines multiple times in order to fully grasp the main idea.
May 18, 2013
RWE's Self Reliance is a great read. If you can get past the detailed, sometimes boring, narrative, there is a true message that lies underneath the surface. I liken it to a trip to the woods and we see leaves scattered along the way. We may only see leaves strewn about, but sometimes, if we dig under those leaves, we find another world of wonder. That is what this book offers, a look under the leaves. Emerson's style is fluent. It flows well with words that blend together like poetry.
Emerson was not just a great speaker, but a very important figure for the Transcendentalist movement. I have great admiration for Emerson in how he was able to blend a life full of the spiritual and an earthly existence. I think there is a balance, just like most things in life or in the universe, balance is essential to long life, long love, long self success. Self Reliance points out the possibilities of living that balances life, the idea of positive thinking, and the idea of an eternal life with God. As my brother loves to say, "Ain't it great?"
Yes it is.
Emerson was not just a great speaker, but a very important figure for the Transcendentalist movement. I have great admiration for Emerson in how he was able to blend a life full of the spiritual and an earthly existence. I think there is a balance, just like most things in life or in the universe, balance is essential to long life, long love, long self success. Self Reliance points out the possibilities of living that balances life, the idea of positive thinking, and the idea of an eternal life with God. As my brother loves to say, "Ain't it great?"
Yes it is.
December 24, 2020
While a good introduction to Emerson, I found myself suspicious of Whelan´s invasive editing, especially given his propensity for rewording phrases or offering parenthetical explanations that sometimes seemed quite self-evident. In the end, however, I found myself bored enough with Emerson´s style to be thankful for the abridgement. His ideas are certainly worthwhile, especially in "Spiritual Laws," "Politics," and the titular essay. Also invaluable is the addition by Whelan of Emerson´s lecture "The Transcendalist," where RWE explains the relation between transcendentalism and idealism, and how both are the opposite of materialism.
@pointblaek
@pointblaek
September 1, 2011
I have enjoyed Emerson's essays for decades, and this is an edition that can add much to the reader's understanding of what is meant by Emerson in these writings. Richard Whelan's introduction is quite enlightening and in addition to interpreting Emerson's writings here he also suggests ways in which these spiritual ideas can be put to use in our lives. I personally believe that if each of us followed these principles the world would be a much, much better place. I highly recommend this edition because of Whelan's introduction, which makes it a bit better than many editions of these essays.
July 5, 2009
A great condensed introduction to Emerson. A favorite quote or two:
"What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think. It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude."
"Be, and not seem."
All easier said than done - but how inspirational!
"What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think. It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude."
"Be, and not seem."
All easier said than done - but how inspirational!
September 23, 2012
I found this book helpful in getting guidance and inspiration. Emerson is one of my favourite writers. I've had this book for a few years and pick it up from time to time. It's helpful tho, when one has time, to go to some other source and see the complete text. These are abridged versions, so what was extraneous to the author might be useful to another person! :)
December 7, 2007
I carried this book around with me for 3 years and read it in grocery lines, lunch breaks, between classes. I have probably read it 20 times. Its beautiful. Emmersons writing ignores the ego and speaks to the intelligence within us.
December 14, 2015
“It never troubles the sun that some of his rays fall wide and vain into ungrateful space, and only a small part on the reflecting planet. Let your greatness educate the crude and cold companion. If he is unequal, he will presently pass away; but thou art enlarged by thy own shining.”
July 20, 2009
I pick this book up when I get a little bit of free time and am blown away by everything it has to say every time.
March 17, 2010
Definitely some memorable quotes, but it's hard slogging.
April 1, 2010
Emerson really presents us with a belief that we are part of something bigger. The book is littered with practical advise that still applies and is not archaic.
March 30, 2013
A should-read book on spirituality in self development for knowledge workers, managers, executives, and entrepreneurs.
August 4, 2014
I had this from the library but had to return it before I finished it... I read up to the essay titled friendship. Hopefully I can finish it sometime later.
November 20, 2019
I treat this book like Christians treat The Bible.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews