“To be rich is to have a ticket of admission to the masterworks and chief men of each race. It is to have the sea, by voyaging; to visit the mountains, Niagara, the Nile, the desert, Rome, Paris, Constantinople; to see galleries, libraries, arsenals, manufactories.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Wealth (Primary source)
In Wealth, Emerson argues that true wealth is not merely material accumulation, but the ability to create and contribute. It stems from aligning oneself with natural laws and serving others, leading to a flourishing and abundant life beyond mere possessions.
“Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Primary source“It was for beauty that the world was made.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Primary source“The reward of a thing well done, is to have done it.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Primary source“The true test of civilization is, not the census, nor the size of cities, nor the crops—no, but the kind of man the country turns out.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Primary sourceMore quotes by Ralph Waldo Emerson →
“’Tis easy to see, hard to foresee.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“That which each can do best, none but his Maker can teach him.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Primary source“He that is rich need not live sparingly, and he that can live sparingly, need not be rich.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“Every thing impossible, until we see a success.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Primary source