I’ve always had a pure love for the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson. One of my favorite Ralph Waldo Emerson books is “Selected Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson“. It’s filled with several life lessons that have contributed to the way I see the world today. Several of my favorite quotes are from Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes. This mornings Releasing Me Moments is dedicated to him. I hope you all enjoy this post. I know I’ll enjoy sharing them with you. 
"Shallow men believe in luck, believe in circumstance. Strong men believe in cause and effect." Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Be not the slave of your own past. Plunge into the sublime seas, dive deep and swim far, so you shall come back with self-respect, with new power, with and advanced experience that shall explain and overlook the old.”
“Don’t be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.”
“A great man is always willing to be little.”
“A man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done his best; but what he has said or done otherwise shall give him no peace.”
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
“Every mind must make its choice between truth and repose. It cannot have both.”
“For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else.”
“Men are what their mothers made them.”
“Make yourself necessary to somebody.”
“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.”
“Nobody can bring you peace but yourself.”
“What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.”
“Who you are speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you’re saying.”
“There is no thought which is not seed as well as fruit.”
“God finds his perfection in himself; so must man.”
“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.”
“Insist on yourself; never imitate. Your own gift you can present every moment with the cumulative force of a life’s cultivation; but of the adopted talent of another you have only and extemporaneous half possession… Do that which is assigned to you, and you cannot hope too much or dare too much.”
So which is your favorite quote from Sir Ralph Waldo Emerson? If it’s not on the list I’d love to hear your favorite. There’s plenty to choose from; the dude was a serious writer. So share your feedback on this awesome dude! Good or bad. I’d love to hear what you think.
Thanks to each of you for your continual support and for being completely awesome! All the best, Happy Friday and enjoy your weekend all!
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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Speechless. This post made me tear up a little. I feel like I just went to church.
My fav Emerson quote is:
What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.
Hi Elise! Thanks for stopping in luv. I’ve been doing so much commenting and visits that I was oblivious to the fact that I had comments waiting. I must do better.
Not to church tho!! LOL
Well, I guess that’s a good thing. Although I’ve done the preacher thing before. And I always get hesitant when people tell me I’m sounding like one. I go into panic mode! Not that it’s a bad thing to sound like, but just my own convictions. However, thank you for the compliment young lady. I really appreciate the thoughtfulness.
And yeah, that’s one of my faves as well.
Enjoy your weekend my friend. 
A quote that I’ve used often is, “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.” But my favorite is, “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” That one makes me excited.
Hi Leanne and Welcome to the Release!
I’m super glad to be connected with you. I love your work! I’ve read Motivation by Fear, but have yet to comment. You know the life of a blogger, busy, busy, bee.
Those are two awesome quotes, I’d have to agree! He really didn’t miss anything as a writer. He crossed every “T” and dotted every “i”! Love Ralph’s work.
Do feel free to come back anytime. I really appreciate the feedback as well. All the best to you! Enjoy this awesome weekend coming!
You got one of my all time favorate quotes already listed here
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
The other is
“Trust your instinct to the end, though you can render no reason.”
I really enjoy Emerson myself Deeone. This was well put togther; almost like a speech.
Have a fabulous weekend
Thanks Bonnie! So glad that you enjoyed the post. He truly was an incredible writer. I love each of the quotes myself. Couldn’t pick a fave if I tried.
Although both of the ones you picked are great ones as well.
Have a awesome weekend as well my friend. I will certainly be taking a break from the laptop. I need to get my eyes readjusted.
I really love to read Ralph Waldo Emerson. I like this quote;
“For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else.
Thanks for an inspiring post, Deeone!
Hi Janette!
Out of all of the regular visitors, I figured you’d enjoy Sir Ralph just as much as I did. That is a great one as well. And it is so very true!
I’m glad it was inspiring for you, as well. That’s awesome to know.
Have an awesome weekend, my friend!
I must say, I had not familiarity with Waldo before now. But from reading the quotes you shared – I’m a fan.
The quote that stood out the most for me was:
“A great man is always willing to be little.”
That says so much. What jumps out first is the willingness to be little. The willingness to take a chance and fail, risk losing something at the cost of accomplishing something larger.
Powerful stuff man. Thanks!
That’s awesome that I turned you on to the Ralphster! He’s awesome man. I’d definitely recommend his material. He has some very powerful quote! Deep too!
That is a good one. Most of them I’d heard or read before except that particular one, but when I saw that quote it literally jumped out at me. You’re right it speaks volumes! The willingness to allow other’s to shine says so much about a person’s character. To succeed one must absolutely be willing to fail. I enjoyed it… I had to read it a couple of times to really let it get into my heart and mind.
This guy really had a way with words. He played with words like they were merely toys; broke literary rules just because he could do it so artfully. I loved that about Sir Emerson!
Deeone,
“A great man is always willing to be little.”
I’m married to an elected official in a small town. Too often, some people forget that. Quite frustrating.
Thankfully, my husband understands this.
Nice collection of quotes. Perfect timing.
~Keri
Hi Keri and Welcome to the Release!
I think this quote is really the most powerful of this collection. I mean, they’re all great quotes, but this particular one I think gives us an understanding as to why humility is so important for us to grasp and apply to our lives.
It sounds like your husband has mastered this, and for that reason has become a leader in his own right. In your knowing that he understands the importance of humility lets me know that you believe in him, and that means a lot… and says a lot about his character. If those that love you and know you best aren’t able to see it, it must not be there for them to see.
It is quite frustrating, when people don’t understand that it’s just as important to be humble as it is to be important. Most people would rather be important though all the time, and never be seen otherwise. That I think is a losing battle, because one way or the other we will all have a moment in our lives that humble us, if we don’t learn how to grasp the importance of humility. It’s bound to happen.
Thank you for sharing that awesome comment with me. I really enjoyed it. Enjoy your weekend my friend.
Not a great fan of Emerson personally. Have enjoyed many of his quotes because they are solid and useful.
Whatever motivates one though is useful and Emerson did do many good things to change his times.
Hi Roberta,
I appreciate your honesty. He’s not for everyone, and what motivates one person isn’t meant to motivate the next. We all have to find what motives and inspire us on this personal journey.
If nothing else, I am glad that you agree that he does have great quotes that are applicable to life. That was my purpose for sharing this post. To inspire and motivate.
Thanks for sharing. It’s always a pleasure to hear from you.
I love inspirational quotes. They are a great way to get re-focused and centered…very quickly. Thanks for putting together such a great list. When you read so many in one spot it really drives home the depth of the writer.
My favorite is “Nobody can bring you peace but yourself.” Until I became trained as a coach, I didn’t have the tools to create this for myself. Now when I work with my clients this is one of our main goals. When you can experience the circumstances of your life – the ups and downs – and still find that place of peace, you have mastered a powerful tool. When in peace we can make clear choices versus being in fear, confusion, overwhelm or when we are stressed.
Great post…and which is YOUR favorite?
Hi Tambre and Welcome to the Release!
Like yourself, I love inspirational quotes as well. I have found that what we put into our minds the most, in some way, shape, or form comes out into our lives and our life practices. I also agree with you Tambre, that when you see a collaboration of quotes such as these; you really earn an appreciation for the writer and their work. I think that’s why I enjoy Ralph Waldo Emerson so much. It’s very rare that I ever read anything from him that doesn’t drive home the importance of life and life’s purpose.
That’s a very inspiring message that you shared here, and I truly thank you for sharing such awesomeness!
I’m a fan of Pastor Joel Osteen, and I listen to his message every week. On last night he spoke about the power of letting go. Your comment reminded me of what he spoke about in a sense. Oftentimes, we spend so much of our lives trying to make sense of things that we are meant to take them as an experience, use it for our personal growth, and move on to the next one. When we are at peace with what has taken place in life, we are then able to enjoy everything else that we might not have seen looking constantly at our disappointments.
Great feedback! I really enjoyed reading your thought Tambre.
To answer you question, I could easily say that they all are, but my personal favorite is, “Insist on yourself; never imitate. Your own gift you can present every moment with the cumulative force of a life’s cultivation; but of the adopted talent of another you have only and extemporaneous half possession… Do that which is assigned to you, and you cannot hope too much or dare too much.”
I have so often tried to fit in. What I found that works better for me than anything else is just being myself. Everyone won’t appreciate me, but someone definitely will.
Thanks again for stopping by and leaving me such a wonderful response. I look forward to reading your material as well. All the best to you.
Have an amazing week!
Ooh! I am Emerson fan as well! There was a piece of his work called “Self-Reliance” that really pulled me through some tough moments in life. Let me know if you haven’t read it before and I’ll send it to you! =)
Thanks so much for sharing these motivational quotes, Deeone! My favorites were: “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.” and “Nobody can bring you peace but yourself.” They so apply to where I am in life right now. =)
Nobody can bring you peace but yourself. – This one is my favorite, Deeone. We have everything we need inside of us and therefore our destiny is in our hands. Emerson is my favorite by far. Thank you for sharing these inspiring quotes from one of the most amazing writers. Your post is truly outstanding work. It must be shared…and I have
Cheers!
Hi Jen,
This quote that you’ve stated seem to be the most popular of the list. 
Ole Ralph would be quite proud.
It’s always awesome to see your smiling face under the comments.
I will definitely agree with you, we are fully equipped for any and everything we may face in this life. I used to be one of those individuals that used to make all kinds of excuses as to why I thought life was handing me a bundle of lemons. None of the excuses were ever mine, let me tell you.
What I have learned since then is the total opposite. I was fully at fault for not having whatever it was I thought I was suppose to have. Imagine my surprise when I found out that tad bit of information. It was like someone turned on the light switch and said, “OK, now that you know the secret, what are you going to do with the information given?”
I no longer had an excuse. I had to put up or shut up! Needless to say, putting up also requires a little action on our parts as well.
Emerson is definitely one of the greater of writers. I’d recommend anyone who haven’t read his work to definitely check him out.
Thanks so much for that awesomeness, Jen. It’s always a pleasure to hear from you. Cheers!