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Thinker · 1803–1882

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Father of American transcendentalism. Preached self-reliance, the divinity of nature, and the sacredness of nonconformity.

Contributions
  • Self-Reliance
  • Transcendentalism as American intellectual movement
Words that traveled
"
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
"
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
"
What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson