“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 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“The years teach much which the days never know.”
— 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 source“The only way to have a friend is to be one.”
— 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 augments a battalion like success.”
— Napoleon Bonaparte Disputed“Art is never finished, only abandoned.”
— Leonardo da Vinci Disputed