“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
This quote is commonly attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, but I have not been able to locate a primary source. Use with caution in academic or professional contexts.
“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 source“The years teach much which the days never know.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Primary source“In skating over thin ice, our safety is in our speed.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Primary source“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Primary sourceMore quotes by Ralph Waldo Emerson →
“We must be our own [friend] before we can be another’s.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Primary source“For it matters not how small the beginning may seem to be: what is once well done is done for ever.”
— Henry David Thoreau Primary source“Never spend your money before you have it.”
— Thomas Jefferson Primary source“I will not be triumphed over.”
— Cleopatra Disputed