“Truth is our element of life, yet if a man fasten his attention on a single aspect of truth, and apply himself to that alone for a long time, the truth becomes distorted and not itself, but falsehood.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Intellect (Primary source)
In Intellect, Emerson distinguishes between Understanding (logical thought) and Reason (intuitive insight). He argues that true knowledge and spiritual apprehension come from cultivating Reason, enabling the mind to grasp universal truths beyond mere facts or analysis.
“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.”
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“Threats alone are the weapons of the threatened man.”
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— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“Truth was the only daughter of Time.”
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