Character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live as well as strong to think.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

strength intelligence character intellect soul

About Ralph Waldo Emerson

Portrait of Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 – April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a prescient critic of the countervailing pressures of society and...

More quotations from Ralph Waldo Emerson

The only reward of virtue is virtue; the only way to have a friend is to be one.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

friendship friends virtue

Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore if it be goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

truth power self-reliance integrity

There is one mind common to all individual men. Every man is an inlet to the same and to all of the same. He that is once admitted to the right of reason is made a freeman of the whole estate. What Plato has thought, he may think; what a saint has felt, he may feel; what at any time has befallen any man, he can understand. Who hath access to this universal mind is a party to all that is or can be done, for this is the only and sovereign agent.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

humanity history commonality mind power

It is easy to live for others; everybody does. I call on you to live for yourselves.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

life others self-care easy

What I need is someone who will make me do what I can.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

doing inspiration capability

More quotations tagged with “soul”

Nothing contributes so much to tranquilizing the mind as a steady purpose—a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye.

—Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

purpose soul calmness

Friendship leads to human connection, which feeds your soul. More than kale or spinning or fifteen-minute naps under your desk, conscious communication with your clutch friends is the best form of self-care.

—Karen Kilgariff in Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered

friendship soul communication connection

Childhood should be carefree, playing in the sun; not living a nightmare in the darkness of the soul.

—Dave Pelzer in A Child Called "It"

soul childhood darkness

In a solitary life, there are rare moments when another soul dips near yours, as stars once a year brush the earth. Such a constellation was he to me.

—Madeline Miller in Circe

life soul aloneness solitary

I'm being very selfish with myself right now. Taking care of me, feeding my own soul.

—Debbie Macomber in A Girl's Guide to Moving On

self-care soul selfishness

History

11 Feb 2013 Added