“In all design, art lies in making your object prominent, but there is a prior art in choosing objects that are prominent.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Beauty (Primary source)
In Beauty, Emerson explores how beauty in nature and art reflects a deeper spiritual truth and moral order. He argues that true beauty is not just aesthetic pleasure but a manifestation of the divine, elevating the soul and inspiring virtue.
“In all design, art lies in making your object prominent, but there is a prior art in choosing objects that are prominent. The fine arts have nothing casual, but spring from the instincts of the nations that created them.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The reward of a thing well done, is to have done it.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Primary source“Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Primary source“The law of nature is, do the thing, and you shall have the power: but they who do not the thing have not the power.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Primary source“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Primary sourceMore quotes by Ralph Waldo Emerson →
“War is a lottery in which nations ought to risk nothing but small amounts.”
— Napoleon Bonaparte Disputed“I am thee and thou art me and all of one is the other.”
— Ernest Hemingway Primary source“Nothing so popular as goodness.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“Art is never finished, only abandoned.”
— Leonardo da Vinci Disputed