Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American philosopher and writer, and his essay on Self-Reliance talks about the necessity of individualism and avoidance of conformity. While the book seems to be writing for a predominantly male audience, I believe the book speaks to everyone who wants to become a formidable thinker and person.
“A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within... Yet he dismisses without notice his thought, because it is his. In every work of geniu...
We crave solitude but love companionship. It is the cruel paradox of the human experience.
"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 ...
"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."
"Nothing can resist a human will that will stake its existence on a purpose." - Benjamin Disraeli There's a shift that must happen within. Something clicks-in and your brain and biology can never go back. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions."
Whether you’re currently winning or losing in life — you will quickly adapt to your circumstances. The brain needs novelty to thrive, otherwise, it quickly becomes stale.
The worst thing you can do is to focus most of your energy and thought on maintaining your current position or protecting your current status.
"It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.”