Everyday Emerson: The Wisdom of Ralph Waldo Emerson Paraphrased

by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Sam Torode

Revolutionary Ideas Rephrased for TodayIn Everyday Emerson, bestselling author Sam Torode rephrases the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson in contemporary language. The goal is to make Emerson's wisdom applicable to our daily lives, showing that Transcendentalism isn't a relic of the past--it's a way of thinking and seeing the world that's still valid and vital.This book covers Emerson's pathbreaking early lectures, featuring full paraphrases of "The American Scholar," "The Divinity School Address," "The Transcendentalist," and more. It also includes paraphrased excerpts from Emerson's speeches advocating for social reform, the abolition of slavery, and women's rights.Sam Torode's introduction and notes provide an overview of Emerson's life and major themes, and explore the relevance of his philosophy today. Everyday Emerson can be read on its own, or as an aid to studying the original works.This is the first book in a series which also Living from the The 7 Spiritual Principles of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Secrets of the Ralph Waldo Emerson's Keys to Expansive Mental Powers.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

130 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 12, 2017

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

[Anita Ashland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a nice introduction to Emerson's works and contains five of his most important addresses written in today's English. I like the timeline and brief overview of Emerson's life at the beginning of the work. It's amazing how much of what Emerson wrote in the 1800's is still relevant today.

Some favorite quotes:

"Run eagerly into the world's tumult. Grasp the hands of the people you meet, and take your place in the ring, to suffer and to strive. Learn by your instincts. For as you take on new experiences, you conquer the unknown wilderness - both without and within - and so extend your being."

"Whenever you have the opportunity, read truth directly by observing, absorbing, and meditation on nature. Don't spend all your time reading other people's accounts of insights gleaned from their own meditations."

"Any new idea, opinion, or movement shared by women is the first sign of a revolution. On the ship of society, woman is the sail."

[Tom Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I studies Emerson and the Transcendentalists during my first (and only) semester at Graduate School. I was amazed, and still am, with his insight and sheer intelligence of thought and writing. This work took me a bit deeper into The King of the Oversoul. There are many original quotes to satisfy any literary hunger search. His influence on Thoreau is cited as well.
For an additional reference, see “American Bloomsbury”, Susan Cheever’s work on the Transcendentalists.

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read that gave me a lot to think about. Some insights I want to remember:
-Emerson was a Christian minister, like his father, but lost his faith in traditional Christianity after his wife died and went to Europe and met some great thinkers of the day there. He became a public speaker when he returned to America and gave eulogy at Thoreau's & Pres. Lincoln's funeral.
-Emerson believed the world was a reflection of what is inside us--our thoughts shape our reality
-Being out in nature is important to both our body and spirit
-The laws of nature mirror moral laws, such as straight path also can mean moral rightness and "crooked" means wrong. Proverbs such as "the early bird gets the worm" also show this.
-Where there is creation, there is spirit. We learn by doing and must put knowledge into practice.
-Learning from people of the past shows us our potential - we are just as capable
-Your most precious possession is your soul - the soul sees truth and expresses it
-Genius is the potential of all
-Scholar should be immersed in the world, not isolated
-Evil is the absence of good
-The need for new revelation is greater now than ever - God is and speaks today
-Redemption can only come from the soul not the church
-Society loves the past - the youth are the regenerators of society
-Conservatives and progressives have been fighting for control of the world since the very beginning - need to combine the best aspects of both as nature does
-We should judge society starting with ourselves and our own minds, not groups of people
-Stand for virtue
-Declaration, Constitution, laws and courts, the Bible are useless without just and moral people to interpret and obey them
-Women are the finishers and polishers of society - women are the civilizers of humanity

[Gerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great. I never really knew anything about Emerson until this summer. Definitely worth your time to explore his ideas. I read about Emerson from Robert Greene (my favorite source for new thinkers) and I loved Sam Torode's work with The Manual so I picked this to explore his ideas. Since Emerson wrote 150 years ago some of the ideas benefit from a more modern translation and Sam Torode does a great job at this.

[Quartknee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads a bit like a dissertation so it might not be for everyone but I found it evocative and a fitting gist to quickly encapsulate RWE's ideas.

[Casey Spaulding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!!

I enjoyed the insights and background on Emerson from the author. Made it a fast and easy read. Check it out.

[Michael Mcfarren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought provoking

I didn’t think that thoughts from 150 year ago was as relevant today as this book demonstrated. I found this fascinating and looking for more original works.

[Alan Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A "highlight" edition of Emerson's thought.

[Cynthia Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice to keep on nightstand for occasional inspiration.

[Eugene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book, a man ahead of his time and very much relevant stll.

[Jake Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a modern take on Emerson. Great read!

[Peter K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful and timeless.

[Mark Gaskins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was incredible!