Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Self-Reliance from Essays: First Series (1841)
Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Ne te quaesiveris extra."
"Man is his own star; and the soul that can
Render an honest and a perfect man,
Commands all light, all influence, all fate;
Nothing to him falls early or too late.
Our acts our angels are, or good or ill,
Our fatal shadows that walk by us still."
Epilogue to Beaumont and Fletcher's Honest Man's Fortune
Cast the bantling on the rocks,
Suckle him with the she-wolf's teat;
Wintered with the hawk and fox,
Power and speed be hands and feet.
ESSAY II Self-Reliance
I read the other day some verses written by an eminent painter which were original and not conventional. The soul always hears an admonition in such lines, let the subject be what it may. The sentiment they instil is of more value than any thought they may contain. To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, - that is genius. Speak your latent conviction, and it shall be the universal sense; for the inmost in due time becomes the outmost,-- and our first thought is rendered back to us by the trumpets of the Last Judgment. Familiar as the voice of the mind is to each, the highest merit we ascribe to Moses, Plato, and Milton is, that they set at naught books and traditions, and spoke not what men but what they thought. A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages. Yet he dismisses without notice his thought, because it is his. In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts: they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty. Great works of art have no more affecting lesson for us than this. They teach us to abide by our spontaneous impression with good-humored inflexibility then most when the whole cry of voices is on the other side. Else, to-morrow a stranger will say with masterly good sense precisely what we have thought and felt all the time, and we shall be forced to take with shame our own opinion from another.
There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried. Not for nothing one face, one character, one fact, makes much impression on him, and another none. This sculpture in the memory is not without preestablished harmony. The eye was placed where one ray should fall, that it might testify of that particular ray. We but half express ourselves, and are ashamed of that divine idea which each of us represents. It may be safely trusted as proportionate and of good issues, so it be faithfully imparted, but God will not have his work made manifest by cowards. A man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done his best; but what he has said or done otherwise, shall give him no peace. It is a deliverance which does not deliver. In the attempt his genius deserts him; no muse befriends; no invention, no hope.
Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. Accept the place the divine providence has found for you, the society of your contemporaries, the connection of events. Great men have always done so, and confided themselves childlike to the genius of their age, betraying their perception that the absolutely trustworthy was seated at their heart, working through their hands, predominating in all their being. And we are now men, and must accept in the highest mind the same transcendent destiny; and not minors and invalids in a protected corner, not cowards fleeing before a revolution, but guides, redeemers, and benefactors, obeying the Almighty effort, and advancing on Chaos and the Dark.
.

[@chrisdeli4334]

"Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles." Gives me the chills every single time. I listen to this every day.

[@sarahguy-levar7955]

THANK YOU. I was trying to slog through just by reading........my mind kept wandering and I just couldn't focus. Your lovely voice makes all the difference.

[@alexvidu4517]

This was great, thanks, I been tryin to find out about "as a man thinketh full pdf" for a while now, and I think this has helped. You ever tried - Saankramer Earn Infinity System - (do a search on google ) ? Ive heard some incredible things about it and my cousin got amazing results with it.

[@zakariaaldubai2172]

I lik his thoughts and his speaking way🙄

[@johannesbekker1970]

A shortened attention span ; the bane of the modern age where machines now do our remembering for us among a host of other functions we can no longer do without those devices ! .... Here's a way to improve memory and reverse the erratic effect of PCs & smart phones on us : review each day in reverse order exactly to the finest details, before you drift off to sleep. It's difficult in the beginning but gets better with practice.

[@johannesbekker1970]

@@Mia_2512 Where do you get your blue pills from ?

[@deardarlingdollies5851]

I have the same problem and I've had the problem since before smartphones existed. T.T

[@2Hesiod]

He sounds like Emerson himself is narrating his own book to us!

[@nadjiguemarful]

Yes I love this reader whoever he is, however long ago this was recorded.. Him and Vox Stoica are the most animating readers Ive heard lol

[@doman362]

I feel the same way. Emerson's face and this Gentleman's voice sits well together.

[@ageis]

This reading seems to omit a paragraph. The missing passage should occur at 13:40 and is the following: 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.

[@joshdeleon2862]

Its easy to live after the worlds opinion; its 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 .

[@triplerushhd4799]

That’s great stuff. This is one of my favorite comments here because I’ve been there. It’s truly surreal. If this is lost to conformity to society, life begins to lose its brilliance can seem a little gray, dull, maybe even foreboding. In this, do I think that anxiety, depression, and other things emerge. Seeming to most as random and chronic, but instead a consequential state of reaction to the detour of ones true will formed yet ignored in solitude to be traded off for conformity to societal illusionary dogma. For the “bread” that is promised.

[@vee7037]

@@triplerushhd4799 sheesh. amazing.

[@triplerushhd4799]

@@vee7037 believe it or not, you can get there too. You may not know it or maybe you do, but humans were born as how the great man is seen by sheep-like humans. You were once already the great man. Regain your true self not be going for something more, but by taking off what has been engraved into you by societal hammering both subconscious and consciously. Undoing the conformity, but only if you wish... you are too infinite as a being with a brain to have a form not of your creation. That’s right you are amazing. Sheeesh 😌

[@vee7037]

@@triplerushhd4799 I feel it and thank you so much, I’ve known since a young child that all this “magic” I’m feeling is internal but as an adolescent I just wanted to be accepted. That in turn made me lose myself and it took a long period of solitude for me to feel like I don’t need to be accepted. Of course, it does feel like as soon as I’m around large crowds, these feelings of wanting to be seen or noticed does overcome me, but I know one day I can live in my truth without conforming. I’m 19 and it’s gonna be a long journey lol. Wishing you the best in this lifetime!

[@fakename3208]

@@vee7037 bro you’re 19, that’s so young. I’m 30. It all gets so much better over time. Just keep at it but at the same time remember to enjoy life. Don’t get spend TOO much time on the self-improvement treadmill.

[@sarahm.8336]

2:33 starts "There is a time..."

[@BettyArroyo1213]

Thanks

[@anahit5136]

Thank u !!

[@theounderhill182]

thank you

[@jazzyjoker9084]

Thanks

[@briannaharris4069]

a Godsend

[@khbadiane]

This was the perfect read/listen for what I'm going through right now. It's a great reminder to look inward and take pleasure of the things that make individuals great. The perfect reassurance to follow your own path and be a decent human being ❤

[@macrich2708]

GOD WILL NOT HAVE HIS WORK MADE MANIFEST BY COWARDS!!

[@ravirus123]

We but half express ourselves, and are ashamed of that divine idea which each of us represents.

[@triplerushhd4799]

“A man is a god in ruins”

[@adabelinda]

Thank you!

[@jessedarren1511]

THANK YOU!!

[@junmiyamoto3246]

Thanks. I have ADD and the oneword that's highlighted while reading helps me keep focus.

[@nadjiguemarful]

Emerson would have thought te catagory of ADD was bulls-t lol, He would just say you were a great soul with not enough physical material around you to play with.. Too great to be contained by society. You should create stuff! Write and draw or make music

[@kylekraemer7409]

@@nadjiguemarful You started off pretty rude and then switched it 180 and turned it to a genuine compliment.

[@nadjiguemarful]

@@kylekraemer7409 Lol its all about balance God said in the Quran "diminish not the Balance"

[@kylekraemer7409]

@@nadjiguemarful I agree, good paradigm to adopt

[@b00gi3]

This is one of the most beautiful texts I have ever heard / "read".... and beautifully narrated. The reader has a tremendous voice for this. I think the voice is now forever connected to this text, for me. I'll be hearing it when I sit to read it, and happily so.

[@nateTheNomad23]

His voice has the same effect with the KZbin- available audiobook The Underground Man, by Dostoyevsky

[@thealchemistdaughter3405]

"what we love that we have,but by desire we bereave ourselves of the love"..a whole life in one sentence! ..Ralph Waldo Emerson, a true individual and a real treasure ❤

[@techgriz]

Julie Westmacott so true, we sell our love for a desire. The moment we sell our love for a desire we lose a love and let a desire controll us and sell out.

[@angelcreation8499]

THANK YOU

[@Fogofwar99]

Thank you so much 😊

[@LostCaper]

Incredible and this has relieved me of a lot o pain. I have been robbed of my pension via government, have regret and my own thoughts moved me to self reliance. This knowledge has reinforced the importance of my continuations of my true path. I will be sure to pass this own to my children in hope they to will follow.

[@BillyMcBride]

You are a great reader of one of my favorite lovely people. Thank you for your saving voice!

[@AxmedBahjad]

True wisdom. For those who the BBC, ITV, Channel, Sky, CNN, and other media outlets think for them must listen and get their own thinking faculty back.

[@malikialgeriankabyleswag4200]

In case youre Muslim, please listen to 26:00 onwards as he is talking about the Fitra as 'intuition', the definition of the Fitra is the Ultimate Truth that we know, without being taught. Its the same definition as intuition. Its very insightful.

[@jessehill2632]

Every time I listen to this, I am automatically put into action such as cleaning and organizing with maintaining.

[@LightworkingWanderer]

I can picture you still cleaning up. 🙇🏼‍♂️😊

[@malikialgeriankabyleswag4200]

Hope you're doing well now Jesse

[@harshkumar811]

Emerson really did create a class of his own.

[@babamuibrahim4756]

I'm Influenced by Emerson for life

[@satnamo]

Nothing will bring me peace but my self because returning to the source is returning to tranquility since there is no happiness higher than rest. Break the flower tipped arrows of Mara and death will never touch me again. Painful is birth; Painful is death; Painful is birth and death over and over again. He who crosses over to the other shore becomes arhat; other people run up and down on this shore from death to death. Death is a great opportunity to be no i

[@antonk6359]

So much wisdom...so little heeded!

[@titteryenot4524]

If I had to pick one writer who shaped my thinking more than any other it would be Emerson, along with his compadres, Whitman and Thoreau. He’s so eminently quotable and here are my Top 10 favourites of his: 1. *Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.* 2. *Make your own Bible. Select and collect all the words and sentences that in all your readings have been to you like the blast of a trumpet.* 3. *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.* 4. *Once you make a decision, the Universe conspires to make it happen* 5. *Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it not.* 6. *A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day.* 7. *You become what you think about all day long.* 8. *The good news is that the moment you decide that what you know is more important than what you have been taught to believe, you will have shifted gears in your quest for abundance. Success comes from within, not from without.* 9. *Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.* 10. *There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried.* Like the stars ✨ in the firmament there are countless others, but perhaps I should end with this, thereby not taking Emerson’s advice: *I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.*

[@vhyome9786]

Truly a masterpiece that has inspired greatness.

[@d-alphamuszic2800]

Simply lovely.

[@c.s.hayden3022]

Just about every line in this is quotable. Radical freedom works when you have good sense. His eloquence is proof enough.

[@carolina_grace5721]

Truth is handsomer than the affactation of love....

[@FriginHavoc]

6:18 8:20 8:30 9:14 9:28 10:40 18:55 19:40 19:43 20:47 32:34 33:06 33:57 45:53 49:42-49:53

[@InfinityOnHi]

what do these timestamps represent, sir?

[@raymondhaling3870]

InfinityOnHi

[@FriginHavoc]

It was a clue for an online scavenger hunt.

[@sweetlikeari5185]

you are a good human🤍

[@aodh5966]

Obeying the almighty effort and advancing on chaos and the dark

[@justbemine_shorttopics]

Thank you.

[@abigailkruse587]

Bob I love your voice. Thanks for posting John.

[@carlosgarza1701]

Robert Greene brought me here, love it! Thank you.

[@fiffeel]

Same here

[@sandymyers3148]

Wonderful uplifting message ❤️

[@samaustin8690]

Emerson speaks the language of the gods

[@leewawson344]

Thx* love video🌟 Namaste 🌟

[@fredrush534]

This is brilliant.

[@zizwe32gb]

Emerson's words are worth pondering.

[@WuddlesWasTaken]

*6 years later* what brings you here?

[@adrianbiber5340]

"God will not have his work manifest by cowards"... damn

[@LightworkingWanderer]

Such profound words, yet not many men ever even think it. 🙇🏼‍♂️

[@mcmars273]

This is such a rich essay, written twenty years before the Civil War. I have read it twice at different points in my life. Listening to you read gives me a sense of Emerson's voice made palabale.

[@vickielynne9493]

brilliant share ...thank you for sharing:0

[@Jack-pm2pz]

I like this speaker a lot.

[@loke5551]

very inspiring; gave me a new perspective on life

[@mutedwood]

really appreciate this upload man

[@BrianCarnevaleB26]

interesting, enlightening.

[@melanielalalala6099]

A good read! Thank you for sharing! ❤

[@ReadAlongClassics]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@StandardProceduree]

37:57 - DAMN. "We do not yet see that Virtue is Height, and that a man or a company of men, plastic and permeable to principles by the Law of Nature must overpower and ride all cities, Nations, Kings, Rich Men, poets who are not."

[@bishopscore]

excellent reading.

[@chrisgmurray3622]

It was for myself, as if a distant memory of my own soul was reawakened, when I first heard this. Almost without exception each sentence of this rant from the heart seemed to articulate my own unspoken ideas, and reassured my trust in my God-given experiences. Thank you for posting this gem of free thought.

[@jeffreystith9456]

When u hear truths spoken so simply and elegantly "thank you" seems inadequate. But I am appreciative of Emerson and the reader alike. Thank u both.

[@HippieChick9]

The narrator needs no introduction. That's a hard fact. Now, about the video, this appeared in my recommended among all my asmr video recommendations. It's been so long since I've listened to an audiobook. Seems the Universe brought me here.

[@wendynoto4726]

That's the good thing of not being here anymore you don't cringe at the things you spect others to mourn When you're gone... Me

[@bishopscore]

Excellently read. ✌

[@Fit_Philosopher]

My favorite narrator ever, bob newfeld

[@ReadAlongClassics]

He is a marvel

[@jamesmoore6203]

Twisted upon the mind of self, created from power not recognized beyond Orion's belt. Lingo, speaks and challenged by only what is felt in this time. Seasoned by what was and not what is, created and balanced as nature; Ironically spoken words are gifts not so we'll explained. Electricity was found, resources dug from the ground , yet my natural resources are not found. Intelligence is searched , but not found as many precious stones given by the Earth. Take not my speech as from me, take not my thoughts as your own. In fact, find me in the expansion of the universe, for I Am.....

[@awesome7108]

3:38 best phrase.

[@inspirationalpostbyleverso6263]

Beautifully read

[@merondesta1244]

He was stoic!!

[@notoriousb.i.z.5342]

writings noted for their excellence, that focus on important ideas

[@zakariaaldubai2172]

,Emerson is great man .😙

[@sandymyers3148]

am a loner studying about philosophy things and religious different religious i enjoy culture things learning educational things this people intruders in my life my privacy right ❤️

[@chumaggotscaesar]

so nice

[@amburjer8291]

As someone who struggles with reading comprehension this was very helpful. This was an excellent narration.

[@ReadAlongClassics]

Glad it was helpful!

[@sevenupkyaw]

great

[@sannystewart]

25:12 starts " Let a man then know his worth..."

[@curiouschacha]

Love this. I'm obsessed with Emerson. I did not notice a read aloud of the Oversoul, did I miss it? Can you add it?

[@Jawu523]

Familiar as the voice of the mind is to each,the highest merit we ascribe to Moses Plato and Milton is. That they set at naught books and traditions

[@Josephus_vanDenElzen]

I am not a native English speaker, but I have gotten quite good; but somehow I have difficulty understanding what Emerson means in many cases.

[@josephcosta11]

Siebe van den Elzen don't worry. even native English speakers like me have trouble understanding what Emerson says 😅

[@onehermit8498]

He's the white Bodhidharma.

[@paulmiz3671]

42:10 - I'm gonna try this out! Best wishes from Poland

[@pendejo6466]

Staring from 49.00. Wow.

[@sibengerard1856]

EMERSON....BERGSON.....KRISHNAMURTI...TRUE MASTERS.

[@catwillden2520]

this man sounds like the voice of one of the greybeards in Skyrim

[@lightningchegg4823]

I love it.

[@Plutarch07]

Bro fuck yeah 😂😂

[@DB-ss6ch]

34:24 A line was written, a life interpreted. Lives was text, and lines recited.

[@Becca14221]

#lifesaver

[@deardarlingdollies5851]

I'm bookmarking this at 36:31 Sorry, but I gotta sleep. I will finish it in the morning. -.-

[@lyricalwit404]

Great video...

[@ReadAlongClassics]

Thanks for the visit

[@katieskorner8164]

If we had not Laws, but each person, individualy follows his own sense of what is acceptable, and what it not, is a recipe for chaos and discord. One man may think its acceptable to beat his wife to a pulp in the street because she did not wear the proper shoes, while another man may find himself propelled to intervene, because he himself, believes such behavior is NOT acceptable. What have they to gauge their ability to act accordingly, if it is to their own self imposed governing they follow?

[@markaiwa]

I think most people act accordingly with standards in humanity. Kindness, compassion, consideration and so on. But you're always going to get some bad eggs!

[@usmcpatriot7546]

Katies Korner so wha would you say to the people that were ruled under Hitler, Stalin the North Korean President and of all those countries that are ruled by dictators and oppressors?

[@festersonobasohan50]

State your opinion. Do not be scared Put full effort into your work. Knowledge advances man kind

[@kristianze3755]

1:20 3:25 5:49 8:10 9:45 14:19 16:05 19:25 22:30 24:13 33:00 rose 36:19 50:33 50:55 58:10 1:07:17

[@KJBsubscriber]

Very wise. Does anyone have any recommendations on videos that analyze Emerson’s message? I am working on a paper for Uni, and I would like to dig deeper into details I may have missed.

[@brookgashe9368]

Can you send me the paper if you have finished?

[@adnanahmed6830]

Go for self reliance...

[@robthesnobb23]

I wish it didn't have the blue highlight jump to each word, but it was still enjoyable.

[@_Smash_]

I wish i had his vocabulary

[@freya5902]

read literature with similar vocabulary, maybe from around the same era !

[@rainbowthesaurus6253]

You can obtain his vocabulary, you'll just need to sacrifice time for such a skill.

[@ethantaylor9613]

“Charity is shitty never give to charity“ -Ralph Waldo Emerson.

[@adfohukafoju5759]

I am Christian. Mashallah la quwata illa billah

[@kylekraemer7409]

Classic Stoic Content.

[@glassarthouse]

Good reading. If anyone has seen The Crown, this man's voice sounds like the actress who played Margaret Thatcher.

[@jayman1466]

Oddly, I find it ironic that I'm listening to Emerson with such regard. Clearly, I haven't fully appreciated his message of self-reliant intellectualism.

[@goforinterpretingandtransl9341]

Please! Anyone know how to make this kind of video text with the blue light jumping?

[@aynDRAWS]

I wonder if George Orwell took any inspiration from this text for 1984? Some of the lines seem very familiar to the themes/ideas in 1984

[@anandkapdi4822]

😘😘😘

[@abhimanyukarnawat7441]

from this,to give us free healthcare,the decay of a great civilization makes me forlorn.

[@b00gi3]

If you think that a public healthcare system represents a primary example of "the decay of a great civilization" - you are a complete and total fool -- also, if you are posturing that this essay implies such a thing, when in fact you are just voicing your own unrelated personal opinion, then you are a either a bigger fool, or trying to fool other people . The essay even states that society is necessarily a joint-stock company where we need to sacrifice some liberty for our daily bread, which is just the unfortunate nature of living in a society. Unless you never use public roads or footpaths, and live totally outside of society, on your own, and are truly entirely self-reliant, you are merely hypocrite who makes dumb comments. Even the internet you are using to watch videos and leave comments was created with public money, as well as almost the entire telecommunications network (especially the networks for the internet) -- was all publicly funded. You are reliant on public funding in the present and historically, and you are not living outside of society. You clearly depend on it. I hope you or someone you love gets some kind of illness which you cannot afford to remedy. Basic healthcare should not be only for the very wealthy -- nor does this essay indicate in any way that it should be.

[@karamlevi]

@@b00gi3 you should eat pharma everything for ever more since pharma is your savior. Good luck with that 😂. Natural medicine is suppressed to levels you can’t even bear to understand let alone feel. Your the fool. Enjoy ⚡️

[@DumbAmerican67]

genius

[@Jawu523]

Can anyone explain what is naught book. What is inmost become outmost

[@emptyjar4657]

44:00 Bookmark

[@TheMetahedron]

The power men possess to annoy me I give them by a weak curiosity.

[@Jawu523]

What is be what it may

[@AnanyaChattopadhyay09]

Thank you so much

[@ReadAlongClassics]

You're most welcome

[@MrGoldFunkyBoy]

Everyone go to 47:00, you are telling me that this pattern of "education" to "office life" has been going on for roughly 100 years including the failures and consequences of all work and no play.

[@juannago]

0:44 - 4:55

[@badboybootz8]

I wish i could understand this