RALPH WALDO EMERSON
He urges us not to conform blindly to others or to our past selves, but to trust present insight and give it an honest voice in action.
1803–1882American Transcendentalism · EssaysUnited States
Other names and spellings
랄프 왈도 에머슨 · 랄프 월도 에머슨 · 에머슨 · Ralph W. Emerson
Core ideas
SELF-RELIANCENONCONFORMITYINDIVIDUALITYINTUITIONCONSISTENCY
Works & sources
‘Self-Reliance,’ Essays: First Series (1841)
RALPH WALDO EMERSON, a first reading
Emerson wrote about trusting considered thought rather than conforming blindly to other people's expectations. Self-Reliance explores the tension between past statements and present judgment.
Self-reliance: what does it mean?
Self-reliance challenges unthinking conformity and foolish consistency with past opinions. It should not be expanded into permission to abandon responsibilities or assume that personal conviction is always correct.
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