“The life of man is a self-evolving circle, which, from a ring imperceptibly small, rushes on all sides outwards to new and larger circles, and would embrace at last the universal sphere.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
A vivid description of human growth and the continuous expansion of our understanding and being.
Circles (Primary source)
In this essay, Emerson discusses the idea that everything in life is constantly expanding and evolving, like concentric circles. It emphasizes the fluid and ever-changing nature of truth and knowledge.
“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 →
“A long life may not be good enough, but a good life is long enough.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book.”
— Henry David Thoreau Primary source“Life is a journey, not a destination.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Disputed“No man ever was glorious who was not laborious.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source