“Men are conservatives when they are least vigorous, or when they are most luxurious. They are conservatives after dinner, or before taking their rest; when they are sick, or aged: in the morning, or when their intellect or their conscience have been aroused, when they hear music, or when they read poetry, they are radicals.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson (verified)
New England Reformers (Primary source)
In New England Reformers, Emerson critiques the myriad social movements of his time. He argues that genuine, lasting reform must stem from an individual’s inner spiritual and moral transformation, rather than external, superficial changes or collective efforts.
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“The reward of a thing well done, is to have done it.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson (verified)“In skating over thin ice, our safety is in our speed.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson (verified)“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 (verified)“Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson (verified)More quotes by Ralph Waldo Emerson →
“Art is a jealous mistress, and, if a man have a genius for painting, poetry, music, architecture, or philosophy, he makes a bad husband, and an ill provider.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson (verified)“The muses love the morning.”
— Benjamin Franklin (verified)“Hold your council before dinner; the full belly hates thinking as well as acting.”
— Benjamin Franklin (verified)“It is better to be making the news than taking it; to be an actor rather than a critic.”
— Winston Churchill (verified)