Journal Entry

“The%American%Scholar”%(1836)'–'Ralph'Waldo'Emerson'(selected'excerpts)''Mr.'President'and'Gentlemen,''I'greet'you'on'the'reDcommencement'of'our'literary'year.'Our'anniversary'is'one'of'hope,'and,'perhaps,'not'enough'of'labor.'We'do'not'meet'for'games'of'strength'or'skill,'for'the'recitation'of'histories,'tragedies,'and'odes,'like'the'ancient'Greeks;'for'parliaments'of'love'and'poesy,'like'the'Troubadours;'nor'for'the'advancement'of'science,'like'our'contemporaries'in'the'British'and'European'capitals.'Thus'far,'our'holiday'has'been'simply'a'friendly'sign'of'the'survival'of'the'love'of'letters'amongst'a'people'too'busy'to'give'to'letters'any'more.'As'such,'it'is'precious'as'the'sign'of'an'indestructible'instinct.'Perhaps'the'time'is'already'come,'when'it'ought'to'be,'and'will'be,'something'else;'when'the'sluggard'intellect'of'this'continent'will'look'from'under'its'iron'lids,'and'fill'the'postponed'expectation'of'the'world'with'something'better'than'the'exertions'of'mechanical'skill.'Our'day'of'dependence,'our'long'apprenticeship'to'the'learning'of'other'lands,'draws'to'a'close.'''The'millions,'that'around'us'are'rushing'into'life,'cannot'always'be'fed'on'the'sere'remains'of'foreign'harvests.'Events,'actions'arise,'that'must'be'sung,'that'will'sing'themselves.'Who'can'doubt,'that'poetry'will'revive'and'lead'in'a'new'age,'as'the'star'in'the'constellation'Harp,'which'now'flames'in'our'zenith,'astronomers'announce,'shall'one'day'be'the'poleDstar'for'a'thousand'years?'''In'this'hope,'I'accept'the'topic'which'not'only'usage,'but'the'nature'of'our'association,'seem'to'prescribe'to'this'day,DDthe'AMERICAN'SCHOLAR.'Year'by'year,'we'come'up'hither'to'read'one'more'chapter'of'his'biography.'Let'us'inquire'what'light'new'days'and'events'have'thrown'on'his'character,'and'his'hopes.''It'is'one'of'those'fables,'which,'out'of'an'unknown'antiquity,'convey'an'unlookedDfor'wisdom,'that'the'gods,'in'the'beginning,'divided'Man'into'men,'that'he'might'be'more'helpful'to'himself;'just'as'the'hand'was'divided'into'fingers,'the'better'to'answer'its'end.'''The'old'fable'covers'a'doctrine'ever'new'and'sublime;'that'there'is'One'Man,DDpresent'to'all'particular'men'only'partially,'or'through'one'faculty;'and'that'you'must'take'the'whole'society'to'find'the'whole'man.'Man'is'not'a'farmer,'or'a'professor,'or'an'engineer,'but'he'is'all.'Man'is'priest,'and'scholar,'and'statesman,'and'producer,'and'soldier.'In'the'divided'or'social'state,'these'functions'are'parceled'out'to'individuals,'each'of'whom'aims'to'do'his'stint'of'the'joint'work,'whilst'each'other'performs'his.'The'fable'implies,'that'the'individual,'to'possess'himself,'must'sometimes'return'from'his'own'labor'to'embrace'all'the'other'laborers.'But'unfortunately,'this'original'unit,'this'fountain'of'power,'has'been'so'distributed'to'multitudes,'has'been'so'minutely'subdivided'and'peddled'out,'that'it'is'spilled'into'drops,'and'cannot'be'gathered.'The'state'of'society'is'one'in'which'the'members'have'suffered'amputation'from'the'trunk,'and'strut'about'so'many'walking'monsters,DDa'good'finger,'a'neck,'a'stomach,'an'elbow,'but'never'a'man.'' Man'is'thus'metamorphosed'into'a'thing,'into'many'things.'The'planter,'who'is'Man'sent'out'into'the'field'to'gather'food,'is'seldom'cheered'by'any'idea'of'the'true'dignity'of'his'ministry.'He'sees'his'bushel'and'his'cart,'and'nothing'beyond,'and'sinks'into'the'farmer,'instead'of'Man'on'the'farm.'The'tradesman'scarcely'ever'gives'an'ideal'worth'to'his'work,'but'is'ridden'by'the'routine'of'his'craft,'and'the'soul'is'subject'to'dollars.'The'priest'becomes'a'form;'the'attorney,'a'statuteDbook;'the'mechanic,'a'machine;'the'sailor,'a'rope'of'a'ship.'''In'this'distribution'of'functions,'the'scholar'is'the'delegated'intellect.'In'the'right'state,'he'is,'Man(Thinking.'In'the'degenerate'state,'when'the'victim'of'society,'he'tends'to'become'a'mere'thinker,'or,'still'worse,'the'parrot'of'other'men's'thinking.''In'this'view'of'him,'as'Man'Thinking,'the'theory'of'his'office'is'contained.'Him'nature'solicits'with'all'her'placid,'all'her'monitory'pictures;'him'the'past'instructs;'him'the'future'invites.'''Is'not,'indeed,'every'man'a'student,'and'do'not'all'things'exist'for'the'student's'behoof?'And,'finally,'is'not'the'true'scholar'the'only'true'master?'But'the'old'oracle'said,'`All'things'have'two'handles:'beware'of'the'wrong'one.''In'life,'too'often,'the'scholar'errs'with'mankind'and'forfeits'his'privilege.'Let'us'see'him'in'his'school,'and'consider'him'in'reference'to'the'main'influences'he'receives.'''I.'The'first'in'time'and'the'first'in'importance'of'the'influences'upon'the'mind'is'that'of'nature.'Every'day,'the'sun;'and,'after'sunset,'night'and'her'stars.'Ever'the'winds'blow;'ever'the'grass'grows.'Every'day,'men'and'women,'conversing,'beholding'and'beholden.'The'scholar'is'he'of'all'men'whom'this'spectacle'most'engages.'He'must'settle'its'value'in'his'mind.'What'is'nature'to'him?'There'is'never'a'beginning,'there'is'never'an'end,'to'the'inexplicable'continuity'of'this'web'of'God,'but'always'circular'power'returning'into'itself.'Therein'it'resembles'his'own'spirit,'whose'beginning,'whose'ending,'he'never'can'find,DDso'entire,'so'boundless.'Far,'too,'as'her'splendors'shine,'system'on'system'shooting'like'rays,'upward,'downward,'without'centre,'without'circumference,DDin'the'mass'and'in'the'particle,'nature'hastens'to'render'account'of'herself'to'the'mind.'Classification'begins.'To'the'young'mind,'every'thing'is'individual,'stands'by'itself.'By'and'by,'it'finds'how'to'join'two'things,'and'see'in'them'one'nature;'then'three,'then'three'thousand;'and'so,'tyrannized'over'by'its'own'unifying'instinct,'it'goes'on'tying'things'together,'diminishing'anomalies,'discovering'roots'running'under'ground,'whereby'contrary'and'remote'things'cohere,'and'flower'out'from'one'stem.'It'presently'learns,'that,'since'the'dawn'of'history,'there'has'been'a'constant'accumulation'and'classifying'of'facts.'But'what'is'classification'but'the'perceiving'that'these'objects'are'not'chaotic,'and'are'not'foreign,'but'have'a'law'which'is'also'a'law'of'the'human'mind?'The'astronomer'discovers'that'geometry,'a'pure'abstraction'of'the'human'mind,'is'the'measure'of'planetary'motion.'The'chemist'finds'proportions'and'intelligible'method'throughout'matter;'and'science'is'nothing'but'the'finding'of'analogy,'identity,'in'the'most'remote'parts.'The'ambitious'soul'sits'down'before'each'refractory'fact;'one'after'another,'reduces'all'strange'constitutions,'all'new'powers,'to'their'class'and'their' law,'and'goes'on'for'ever'to'animate'the'last'fibre'of'organization,'the'outskirts'of'nature,'by'insight.'''Thus'to'him,'to'this'schoolDboy'under'the'bending'dome'of'day,'is'suggested,'that'he'and'it'proceed'from'one'root;'one'is'leaf'and'one'is'flower;'relation,'sympathy,'stirring'in'every'vein.'And'what'is'that'Root?'Is'not'that'the'soul'of'his'soul?DDA'thought'too'bold,DDa'dream'too'wild.'Yet'when'this'spiritual'light'shall'have'revealed'the'law'of'more'earthly'natures,DDwhen'he'has'learned'to'worship'the'soul,'and'to'see'that'the'natural'philosophy'that'now'is,'is'only'the'first'gropings'of'its'gigantic'hand,'he'shall'look'forward'to'an'ever'expanding'knowledge'as'to'a'becoming'creator.'He'shall'see,'that'nature'is'the'opposite'of'the'soul,'answering'to'it'part'for'part.'One'is'seal,'and'one'is'print.'Its'beauty'is'the'beauty'of'his'own'mind.'Its'laws'are'the'laws'of'his'own'mind.'Nature'then'becomes'to'him'the'measure'of'his'attainments.'So'much'of'nature'as'he'is'ignorant'of,'so'much'of'his'own'mind'does'he'not'yet'possess.'And,'in'fine,'the'ancient'precept,'"Know'thyself,"'and'the'modern'precept,'"Study'nature,"'become'at'last'one'maxim.'''II.'The'next'great'influence'into'the'spirit'of'the'scholar,'is,'the'mind'of'the'Past,DDin'whatever'form,'whether'of'literature,'of'art,'of'institutions,'that'mind'is'inscribed.'Books'are'the'best'type'of'the'influence'of'the'past,'and'perhaps'we'shall'get'at'the'truth,DDlearn'the'amount'of'this'influence'more'conveniently,DDby'considering'their'value'alone.'''The'theory'of'books'is'noble.'The'scholar'of'the'first'age'received'into'him'the'world'around;'brooded'thereon;'gave'it'the'new'arrangement'of'his'own'mind,'and'uttered'it'again.'It'came'into'him,'life;'it'went'out'from'him,'truth.'It'came'to'him,'shortDlived'actions;'it'went'out'from'him,'immortal'thoughts.'It'came'to'him,'business;'it'went'from'him,'poetry.'It'was'dead'fact;'now,'it'is'quick'thought.'It'can'stand,'and'it'can'go.'It'now'endures,'it'now'flies,'it'now'inspires.'Precisely'in'proportion'to'the'depth'of'mind'from'which'it'issued,'so'high'does'it'soar,'so'long'does'it'sing.'''Or,'I'might'say,'it'depends'on'how'far'the'process'had'gone,'of'transmuting'life'into'truth.'In'proportion'to'the'completeness'of'the'distillation,'so'will'the'purity'and'imperishableness'of'the'product'be.'But'none'is'quite'perfect.'As'no'airDpump'can'by'any'means'make'a'perfect'vacuum,'so'neither'can'any'artist'entirely'exclude'the'conventional,'the'local,'the'perishable'from'his'book,'or'write'a'book'of'pure'thought,'that'shall'be'as'efficient,'in'all'respects,'to'a'remote'posterity,'as'to'contemporaries,'or'rather'to'the'second'age.'Each'age,'it'is'found,'must'write'its'own'books;'or'rather,'each'generation'for'the'next'succeeding.'The'books'of'an'older'period'will'not'fit'this.'''Yet'hence'arises'a'grave'mischief.'The'sacredness'which'attaches'to'the'act'of'creation,DDthe'act'of'thought,DDis'transferred'to'the'record.'The'poet'chanting,'was'felt'to'be'a'divine'man:'henceforth'the'chant'is'divine'also.'The'writer'was'a'just'and'wise'spirit:'henceforward'it'is'settled,'the'book'is'perfect;'as'love'of'the'hero'corrupts'into'worship'of'his'statue.'Instantly,'the'book'becomes'noxious:'the'guide' is'a'tyrant.'The'sluggish'and'perverted'mind'of'the'multitude,'slow'to'open'to'the'incursions'of'Reason,'having'once'so'opened,'having'once'received'this'book,'stands'upon'it,'and'makes'an'outcry,'if'it'is'disparaged.'Colleges'are'built'on'it.'Books'are'written'on'it'by'thinkers,'not'by'Man'Thinking;'by'men'of'talent,'that'is,'who'start'wrong,'who'set'out'from'accepted'dogmas,'not'from'their'own'sight'of'principles.'Meek'young'men'grow'up'in'libraries,'believing'it'their'duty'to'accept'the'views,'which'Cicero,'which'Locke,'which'Bacon,'have'given,'forgetful'that'Cicero,'Locke,'and'Bacon'were'only'young'men'in'libraries,'when'they'wrote'these'books.''Hence,'instead'of'Man'Thinking,'we'have'the'bookworm.'Hence,'the'bookDlearned'class,'who'value'books,'as'such;'not'as'related'to'nature'and'the'human'constitution,'but'as'making'a'sort'of'Third'Estate'with'the'world'and'the'soul.'Hence,'the'restorers'of'readings,'the'emendators,'the'bibliomaniacs'of'all'degrees.'''Books'are'the'best'of'things,'well'used;'abused,'among'the'worst.'What'is'the'right'use?'What'is'the'one'end,'which'all'means'go'to'effect?'They'are'for'nothing'but'to'inspire.'I'had'better'never'see'a'book,'than'to'be'warped'by'its'attraction'clean'out'of'my'own'orbit,'and'made'a'satellite'instead'of'a'system.'The'one'thing'in'the'world,'of'value,'is'the'active'soul.'This'every'man'is'entitled'to;'this'every'man'contains'within'him,'although,'in'almost'all'men,'obstructed,'and'as'yet'unborn.'The'soul'active'sees'absolute'truth;'and'utters'truth,'or'creates.'In'this'action,'it'is'genius;'not'the'privilege'of'here'and'there'a'favorite,'but'the'sound'estate'of'every'man.'In'its'essence,'it'is'progressive.'The'book,'the'college,'the'school'of'art,'the'institution'of'any'kind,'stop'with'some'past'utterance'of'genius.'This'is'good,'say'they,DDlet'us'hold'by'this.'They'pin'me'down.'They'look'backward'and'not'forward.'But'genius'looks'forward:'the'eyes'of'man'are'set'in'his'forehead,'not'in'his'hindhead:'man'hopes:'genius'creates.'Whatever'talents'may'be,'if'the'man'create'not,'the'pure'efflux'of'the'Deity'is'not'his;DDcinders'and'smoke'there'may'be,'but'not'yet'flame.'There'are'creative'manners,'there'are'creative'actions,'and'creative'words;'manners,'actions,'words,'that'is,'indicative'of'no'custom'or'authority,'but'springing'spontaneous'from'the'mind's'own'sense'of'good'and'fair.'''On'the'other'part,'instead'of'being'its'own'seer,'let'it'receive'from'another'mind'its'truth,'though'it'were'in'torrents'of'light,'without'periods'of'solitude,'inquest,'and'selfDrecovery,'and'a'fatal'disservice'is'done.'Genius'is'always'sufficiently'the'enemy'of'genius'by'over'influence.'The'literature'of'every'nation'bear'me'witness.'The'English'dramatic'poets'have'Shakspearized'now'for'two'hundred'years.'''Undoubtedly'there'is'a'right'way'of'reading,'so'it'be'sternly'subordinated.'Man'Thinking'must'not'be'subdued'by'his'instruments.'Books'are'for'the'scholar's'idle'times.'When'he'can'read'God'directly,'the'hour'is'too'precious'to'be'wasted'in'other'men's'transcripts'of'their'readings.'But'when'the'intervals'of'darkness'come,'as'come'they'must,DDwhen'the'sun'is'hid,'and'the'stars'withdraw'their'shining,'DDwe'repair'to'the'lamps'which'were'kindled'by'their'ray,'to'guide'our'steps'to'the'East'again,'where'the'dawn'is.'We'hear,'that'we'may'speak.'The'Arabian'proverb'says,'"A'fig'tree,'looking'on'a'fig'tree,'becometh'fruitful."''' It'is'remarkable,'the'character'of'the'pleasure'we'derive'from'the'best'books.'They'impress'us'with'the'conviction,'that'one'nature'wrote'and'the'same'reads.'We'read'the'verses'of'one'of'the'great'English'poets,'of'Chaucer,'of'Marvell,'of'Dryden,'with'the'most'modern'joy,DDwith'a'pleasure,'I'mean,'which'is'in'great'part'caused'by'the'abstraction'of'all'time'from'their'verses.'There'is'some'awe'mixed'with'the'joy'of'our'surprise,'when'this'poet,'who'lived'in'some'past'world,'two'or'three'hundred'years'ago,'says'that'which'lies'close'to'my'own'soul,'that'which'I'also'had'wellnigh'thought'and'said.'But'for'the'evidence'thence'afforded'to'the'philosophical'doctrine'of'the'identity'of'all'minds,'we'should'suppose'some'preestablished'harmony,'some'foresight'of'souls'that'were'to'be,'and'some'preparation'of'stores'for'their'future'wants,'like'the'fact'observed'in'insects,'who'lay'up'food'before'death'for'the'young'grub'they'shall'never'see.'''I'would'not'be'hurried'by'any'love'of'system,'by'any'exaggeration'of'instincts,'to'underrate'the'Book.'We'all'know,'that,'as'the'human'body'can'be'nourished'on'any'food,'though'it'were'boiled'grass'and'the'broth'of'shoes,'so'the'human'mind'can'be'fed'by'any'knowledge.'And'great'and'heroic'men'have'existed,'who'had'almost'no'other'information'than'by'the'printed'page.'I'only'would'say,'that'it'needs'a'strong'head'to'bear'that'diet.'One'must'be'an'inventor'to'read'well.'As'the'proverb'says,'"He'that'would'bring'home'the'wealth'of'the'Indies,'must'carry'out'the'wealth'of'the'Indies."'There'is'then'creative'reading'as'well'as'creative'writing.'When'the'mind'is'braced'by'labor'and'invention,'the'page'of'whatever'book'we'read'becomes'luminous'with'manifold'allusion.'Every'sentence'is'doubly'significant,'and'the'sense'of'our'author'is'as'broad'as'the'world.'We'then'see,'what'is'always'true,'that,'as'the'seer's'hour'of'vision'is'short'and'rare'among'heavy'days'and'months,'so'is'its'record,'perchance,'the'least'part'of'his'volume.'The'discerning'will'read,'in'his'Plato'or'Shakespeare,'only'that'least'part,DDonly'the'authentic'utterances'of'the'oracle;DD'all'the'rest'he'rejects,'were'it'never'so'many'times'Plato's'and'Shakespeare's.'''Of'course,'there'is'a'portion'of'reading'quite'indispensable'to'a'wise'man.'History'and'exact'science'he'must'learn'by'laborious'reading.'Colleges,'in'like'manner,'have'their'indispensable'office,DDto'teach'elements.'But'they'can'only'highly'serve'us,'when'they'aim'not'to'drill,'but'to'create;'when'they'gather'from'far'every'ray'of'various'genius'to'their'hospitable'halls,'and,'by'the'concentrated'fires,'set'the'hearts'of'their'youth'on'flame.'Thought'and'knowledge'are'natures'in'which'apparatus'and'pretension'avail'nothing.'Gowns,'and'pecuniary'foundations,'though'of'towns'of'gold,'can'never'countervail'the'least'sentence'or'syllable'of'wit.'Forget'this,'and'our'American'colleges'will'recede'in'their'public'importance,'whilst'they'grow'richer'every'year.'''III.'There'goes'in'the'world'a'notion,'that'the'scholar'should'be'a'recluse,'a'valetudinarian,DDas'unfit'for'any'handiwork'or'public'labor,'as'a'penknife'for'an'axe.'The'soDcalled''practical'men''sneer'at'speculative'men,'as'if,'because'they'speculate'or'see,'they'could'do'nothing.'I'have'heard'it'said'that'the'clergy,DDwho'are'always,'more'universally'than'any'other'class,'the'scholars'of'their'day,DDare'addressed'as'women;'that'the'rough,'spontaneous'conversation'of'men'they'do'not'hear,'but'only' a'mincing'and'diluted'speech.'They'are'often'virtually'disfranchised;'and,'indeed,'there'are'advocates'for'their'celibacy.'As'far'as'this'is'true'of'the'studious'classes,'it'is'not'just'and'wise.'Action'is'with'the'scholar'subordinate,'but'it'is'essential.'Without'it,'he'is'not'yet'man.'Without'it,'thought'can'never'ripen'into'truth.'Whilst'the'world'hangs'before'the'eye'as'a'cloud'of'beauty,'we'cannot'even'see'its'beauty.'Inaction'is'cowardice,'but'there'can'be'no'scholar'without'the'heroic'mind.'The'preamble'of'thought,'the'transition'through'which'it'passes'from'the'unconscious'to'the'conscious,'is'action.'Only'so'much'do'I'know,'as'I'have'lived.'Instantly'we'know'whose'words'are'loaded'with'life,'and'whose'not.'''The'world,DDthis'shadow'of'the'soul,'or(other(me,'lies'wide'around.'Its'attractions'are'the'keys'which'unlock'my'thoughts'and'make'me'acquainted'with'myself.'I'run'eagerly'into'this'resounding'tumult.'I'grasp'the'hands'of'those'next'me,'and'take'my'place'in'the'ring'to'suffer'and'to'work,'taught'by'an'instinct,'that'so'shall'the'dumb'abyss'be'vocal'with'speech.'I'pierce'its'order;'I'dissipate'its'fear;'I'dispose'of'it'within'the'circuit'of'my'expanding'life.'So'much'only'of'life'as'I'know'by'experience,'so'much'of'the'wilderness'have'I'vanquished'and'planted,'or'so'far'have'I'extended'my'being,'my'dominion.'I'do'not'see'how'any'man'can'afford,'for'the'sake'of'his'nerves'and'his'nap,'to'spare'any'action'in'which'he'can'partake.'It'is'pearls'and'rubies'to'his'discourse.'Drudgery,'calamity,'exasperation,'want,'are'instructors'in'eloquence'and'wisdom.'The'true'scholar'grudges'every'opportunity'of'action'past'by,'as'a'loss'of'power.'''It'is'the'raw'material'out'of'which'the'intellect'moulds'her'splendid'products.'A'strange'process'too,'this,'by'which'experience'is'converted'into'thought,'as'a'mulberry'leaf'is'converted'into'satin.'The'manufacture'goes'forward'at'all'hours.''The'actions'and'events'of'our'childhood'and'youth,'are'now'matters'of'calmest'observation.'They'lie'like'fair'pictures'in'the'air.'Not'so'with'our'recent'actions,DDwith'the'business'which'we'now'have'in'hand.'On'this'we'are'quite'unable'to'speculate.'Our'affections'as'yet'circulate'through'it.'We'no'more'feel'or'know'it,'than'we'feel'the'feet,'or'the'hand,'or'the'brain'of'our'body.'The'new'deed'is'yet'a'part'of'life,DDremains'for'a'time'immersed'in'our'unconscious'life.'In'some'contemplative'hour,'it'detaches'itself'from'the'life'like'a'ripe'fruit,'to'become'a'thought'of'the'mind.'Instantly,'it'is'raised,'transfigured;'the'corruptible'has'put'on'incorruption.'Henceforth'it'is'an'object'of'beauty,'however'base'its'origin'and'neighborhood.'Observe,'too,'the'impossibility'of'antedating'this'act.'In'its'grub'state,'it'cannot'fly,'it'cannot'shine,'it'is'a'dull'grub.'But'suddenly,'without'observation,'the'selfsame'thing'unfurls'beautiful'wings,'and'is'an'angel'of'wisdom….'''Of'course,'he'who'has'put'forth'his'total'strength'in'fit'actions,'has'the'richest'return'of'wisdom.'I'will'not'shut'myself'out'of'this'globe'of'action,'and'transplant'an'oak'into'a'flowerDpot,'there'to'hunger'and'pine;'nor'trust'the'revenue'of'some'single'faculty,'and'exhaust'one'vein'of'thought,'much'like'those'Savoyards,'who,'getting'their'livelihood'by'carving'shepherds,'shepherdesses,'and'smoking'Dutchmen,'for'all'Europe,'went'out'one'day'to'the'mountain'to'find'stock,'and'discovered'that'they'had'whittled'up'the'last'of'their'pineDtrees.'Authors'we'have,'in'numbers,'who'have' written'out'their'vein,'and'who,'moved'by'a'commendable'prudence,'sail'for'Greece'or'Palestine,'follow'the'trapper'into'the'prairie,'or'ramble'round'Algiers,'to'replenish'their'merchantable'stock.'If'it'were'only'for'a'vocabulary,'the'scholar'would'be'covetous'of'action.'Life'is'our'dictionary.'Years'are'well'spent'in'country'labors;'in'town,DDin'the'insight'into'trades'and'manufactures;'in'frank'intercourse'with'many'men'and'women;'in'science;'in'art;'to'the'one'end'of'mastering'in'all'their'facts'a'language'by'which'to'illustrate'and'embody'our'perceptions.'I'learn'immediately'from'any'speaker'how'much'he'has'already'lived,'through'the'poverty'or'the'splendor'of'his'speech.'Life'lies'behind'us'as'the'quarry'from'whence'we'get'tiles'and'copestones'for'the'masonry'of'toDday.'This'is'the'way'to'learn'grammar.'Colleges'and'books'only'copy'the'language'which'the'field'and'the'workDyard'made.'''But'the'final'value'of'action,'like'that'of'books,'and'better'than'books,'is,'that'it'is'a'resource.'That'great'principle'of'Undulation'in'nature,'that'shows'itself'in'the'inspiring'and'expiring'of'the'breath;'in'desire'and'satiety;'in'the'ebb'and'flow'of'the'sea;'in'day'and'night;'in'heat'and'cold;'and'as'yet'more'deeply'ingrained'in'every'atom'and'every'fluid,'is'known'to'us'under'the'name'of'Polarity,DDthese'"fits'of'easy'transmission'and'reflection,"'as'Newton'called'them,'are'the'law'of'nature'because'they'are'the'law'of'spirit…..''I'have'now'spoken'of'the'education'of'the'scholar'by'nature,'by'books,'and'by'action.'It'remains'to'say'somewhat'of'his'duties.'They'are'such'as'become'Man'Thinking.'They'may'all'be'comprised'in'selfDtrust.'The'office'of'the'scholar'is'to'cheer,'to'raise,'and'to'guide'men'by'showing'them'facts'amidst'appearances.'He'plies'the'slow,'unhonored,'and'unpaid'task'of'observation….'In'the'long'period'of'his'preparation,'he'must'betray'often'an'ignorance'and'shiftlessness'in'popular'arts,'incurring'the'disdain'of'the'able'who'shoulder'him'aside.'Long'he'must'stammer'in'his'speech;'often'forego'the'living'for'the'dead.'Worse'yet,'he'must'accept,DDhow'often!'poverty'and'solitude.'For'the'ease'and'pleasure'of'treading'the'old'road,'accepting'the'fashions,'the'education,'the'religion'of'society,'he'takes'the'cross'of'making'his'own,'and,'of'course,'the'selfDaccusation,'the'faint'heart,'the'frequent'uncertainty'and'loss'of'time,'which'are'the'nettles'and'tangling'vines'in'the'way'of'the'selfDrelying'and'selfDdirected;'and'the'state'of'virtual'hostility'in'which'he'seems'to'stand'to'society,'and'especially'to'educated'society.'For'all'this'loss'and'scorn,'what'offset?'He'is'to'find'consolation'in'exercising'the'highest'functions'of'human'nature….''In'selfDtrust,'all'the'virtues'are'comprehended.'Free'should'the'scholar'be,DDfree'and'brave.'Free'even'to'the'definition'of'freedom,'"without'any'hindrance'that'does'not'arise'out'of'his'own'constitution."'Brave;'for'fear'is'a'thing,'which'a'scholar'by'his'very'function'puts'behind'him.'Fear'always'springs'from'ignorance.'It'is'a'shame'to'him'if'his'tranquility,'amid'dangerous'times,'arise'from'the'presumption,'that,'like'children'and'women,'his'is'a'protected'class;'or'if'he'seek'a'temporary'peace'by'the'diversion'of'his'thoughts'from'politics'or'vexed'questions,'hiding'his'head'like'an'ostrich'in'the'flowering'bushes,'peeping'into'microscopes,'and'turning'rhymes,'as'a'boy'whistles'to'keep'his'courage'up.'So'is'the'danger'a'danger'still;'so'is'the'fear' worse.'Manlike'let'him'turn'and'face'it.'Let'him'look'into'its'eye'and'search'its'nature,'inspect'its'origin,DDsee'the'whelping'of'this'lion,DDwhich'lies'no'great'way'back;'he'will'then'find'in'himself'a'perfect'comprehension'of'its'nature'and'extent;'he'will'have'made'his'hands'meet'on'the'other'side,'and'can'henceforth'defy'it,'and'pass'on'superior.'The'world'is'his,'who'can'see'through'its'pretension.'What'deafness,'what'stoneDblind'custom,'what'overgrown'error'you'behold,'is'there'only'by'sufferance,DDby'your'sufferance.'See'it'to'be'a'lie,'and'you'have'already'dealt'it'its'mortal'blow….''Men'such'as'they'are,'very'naturally'seek'money'or'power;'and'power'because'it'is'as'good'as'money,DDthe'"spoils,"'so'called,'"of'office."'And'why'not?'for'they'aspire'to'the'highest,'and'this,'in'their'sleepDwalking,'they'dream'is'highest.'Wake'them,'and'they'shall'quit'the'false'good,'and'leap'to'the'true,'and'leave'governments'to'clerks'and'desks.'This'revolution'is'to'be'wrought'by'the'gradual'domestication'of'the'idea'of'Culture….''We'have'listened'too'long'to'the'courtly'muses'of'Europe.'The'spirit'of'the'American'freeman'is'already'suspected'to'be'timid,'imitative,'tame.'Public'and'private'avarice'make'the'air'we'breathe'thick'and'fat.'The'scholar'is'decent,'indolent,'complaisant.'See'already'the'tragic'consequence.'The'mind'of'this'country,'taught'to'aim'at'low'objects,'eats'upon'itself.'There'is'no'work'for'any'but'the'decorous'and'the'complaisant.'Young'men'of'the'fairest'promise,'who'begin'life'upon'our'shores,'inflated'by'the'mountain'winds,'shined'upon'by'all'the'stars'of'God,'find'the'earth'below'not'in'unison'with'these,DDbut'are'hindered'from'action'by'the'disgust'which'the'principles'on'which'business'is'managed'inspire,'and'turn'drudges,'or'die'of'disgust,'DDsome'of'them'suicides….'''''%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% “Self4Reliance”'(1841)'–'Ralph'Waldo'Emerson'(selected'excerpts)''“Ne(te(quaesiveris(extra.”((Do'not'seek'yourself'outside'yourself.)''.'…Familiar'as'the'voice'of'the'mind'is'to'each,'the'highest'merit'we'ascribe'to'Moses,'Plato,'and'Milton'is,'that'they'set'at'naught'books'and'traditions,'and'spoke'not'what'men'but'what'they'thought.'A'man'should'learn'to'detect'and'watch'that'gleam'of'light'which'flashes'across'his'mind'from'within,'more'than'the'lustre'of'the'firmament'of'bards'and'sages…'''There'is'a'time'in'every'man's'education'when'he'arrives'at'the'conviction'that'envy'is'ignorance;'that'imitation'is'suicide;'that'he'must'take'himself'for'better,'for'worse,'as'his'portion;'that'though'the'wide'universe'is'full'of'good,'no'kernel'of'nourishing'corn'can'come'to'him'but'through'his'toil'bestowed'on'that'plot'of'ground'which'is'given'to'him'to'till.'The'power'which'resides'in'him'is'new'in'nature,'and'none'but'he'knows'what'that'is'which'he'can'do,'nor'does'he'know'until'he'has'tried.'…''We'but'half'express'ourselves,'and'are'ashamed'of'that'divine'idea'which'each'of'us'represents.'It'may'be'safely'trusted'as'proportionate'and'of'good'issues,'so'it'be'faithfully'imparted,'but'God'will'not'have'his'work'made'manifest'by'cowards.'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.'It'is'a'deliverance'which'does'not'deliver.'In'the'attempt'his'genius'deserts'him;'no'muse'befriends;'no'invention,'no'hope.''Trust'thyself:'every'heart'vibrates'to'that'iron'string.'Accept'the'place'the'divine'providence'has'found'for'you,'the'society'of'your'contemporaries,'the'connection'of'events.'Great'men'have'always'done'so,'and'confided'themselves'childlike'to'the'genius'of'their'age,'betraying'their'perception'that'the'absolutely'trustworthy'was'seated'at'their'heart,'working'through'their'hands,'predominating'in'all'their'being.'And'we'are'now'men,'and'must'accept'in'the'highest'mind'the'same'transcendent'destiny;'and'not'minors'and'invalids'in'a'protected'corner,'not'cowards'fleeing'before'a'revolution,'but'guides,'redeemers,'and'benefactors,'obeying'the'Almighty'effort,'and'advancing'on'Chaos'and'the'Dark…''So'God'has'armed'youth'and'puberty'and'manhood'no'less'with'its'own'piquancy'and'charm,'and'made'it'enviable'and'gracious'and'its'claims'not'to'be'put'by,'if'it'will'stand'by'itself.'Do'not'think'the'youth'has'no'force,'because'he'cannot'speak'to'you'and'me.'Hark!'in'the'next'room'his'voice'is'sufficiently'clear'and'emphatic.'It'seems'he'knows'how'to'speak'to'his'contemporaries.'Bashful'or'bold,'then,'he'will'know'how'to'make'us'seniors'very'unnecessary….' The'nonchalance'of'boys'who'are'sure'of'a'dinner,'and'would'disdain'as'much'as'a'lord'to'do'or'say'aught'to'conciliate'one,'is'the'healthy'attitude'of'human'nature….But'the'man'is,'as'it'were,'clapped'into'jail'by'his'consciousness.'As'soon'as'he'has'once'acted'or'spoken'with'eclat,'he'is'a'committed'person,'watched'by'the'sympathy'or'the'hatred'of'hundreds,'whose'affections'must'now'enter'into'his'account.'There'is'no'Lethe'for'this.'Ah,'that'he'could'pass'again'into'his'neutrality!'Who'can'thus'avoid'all'pledges,'and'having'observed,'observe'again'from'the'same'unaffected,'unbiased,'unbribable,'unaffrighted'innocence,'must'always'be'formidable.'He'would'utter'opinions'on'all'passing'affairs,'which'being'seen'to'be'not'private,'but'necessary,'would'sink'like'darts'into'the'ear'of'men,'and'put'them'in'fear.''These'are'the'voices'which'we'hear'in'solitude,'but'they'grow'faint'and'inaudible'as'we'enter'into'the'world.'Society'everywhere'is'in'conspiracy'against'the'manhood'of'every'one'of'its'members.'Society'is'a'jointDstock'company,'in'which'the'members'agree,'for'the'better'securing'of'his'bread'to'each'shareholder,'to'surrender'the'liberty'and'culture'of'the'eater.'The'virtue'in'most'request'is'conformity.'SelfDreliance'is'its'aversion.'It'loves'not'realities'and'creators,'but'names'and'customs.''Whoso'would'be'a'man'must'be'a'nonconformist.'He'who'would'gather'immortal'palms'must'not'be'hindered'by'the'name'of'goodness,'but'must'explore'if'it'be'goodness.'Nothing'is'at'last'sacred'but'the'integrity'of'your'own'mind…I'remember'an'answer'which'when'quite'young'I'was'prompted'to'make'to'a'valued'adviser,'who'was'wont'to'importune'me'with'the'dear'old'doctrines'of'the'church.'On'my'saying,'What'have'I'to'do'with'the'sacredness'of'traditions,'if'I'live'wholly'from'within?'my'friend'suggested,'“But'these'impulses'may'be'from'below,'not'from'above."'I'replied,'“They'do'not'seem'to'me'to'be'such;'but'if'I'am'the'Devil's'child,'I'will'live'then'from'the'Devil."'….'I'am'ashamed'to'think'how'easily'we'capitulate'to'badges'and'names,'to'large'societies'and'dead'institutions.''Every'decent'and'wellDspoken'individual'affects'and'sways'me'more'than'is'right.'I'ought'to'go'upright'and'vital,'and'speak'the'rude'truth'in'all'ways.'If'malice'and'vanity'wear'the'coat'of'philanthropy,'shall'that'pass?'If'an'angry'bigot'assumes'this'bountiful'cause'of'Abolition,'and'comes'to'me'with'his'last'news'from'Barbadoes,'why'should'I'not'say'to'him,'`Go'love'thy'infant;'love'thy'woodDchopper:'be'goodDnatured'and'modest:'have'that'grace;'and'never'varnish'your'hard,'uncharitable'ambition'with'this'incredible'tenderness'for'black'folk'a'thousand'miles'o_.'Thy'love'afar'is'spite'at'home.''Rough'and'graceless'would'be'such'greeting,'but'truth'is'handsomer'than'the'affectation'of'love.'Your'goodness'must'have'some'edge'to'it,'|'else'it'is'none.'The'doctrine'of'hatred'must'be'preached'as'the'counteraction'of'the'doctrine'of'love'when'that'pules'and'whines…''' What'I'must'do'is'all'that'concerns'me,'not'what'the'people'think.'This'rule,'equally'arduous'in'actual'and'in'intellectual'life,'may'serve'for'the'whole'distinction'between'greatness'and'meanness.'It'is'the'harder,'because'e'you'will'always'_nd'those'who'think'they'know'what'is'your'duty'better'than'you'know'it.'It'is'easy'in'the'world'to'live'after'the'world's'opinion;'it'is'easy'in'solitude'to'live'after'our'own;'but'the'great'man'is'he'who'in'the'midst'of'the'crowd'keeps'with'perfect'sweetness'the'independence'of'solitude.'The'objection'to'conforming'to'usages'that'have'become'dead'to'you'is,'that'it'scatters'your'force.'It'loses'your'time'and'blurs'the'impression'of'your'character….But'do'your'work,'and'I'shall'know'you.'Do'your'work,'and'you'shall'reinforce'yourself.'A'man'must'consider'what'a'blindman'sDbluff'is'this'game'of'conformity.'If'I'know'your'sect,'I'anticipate'your'argument.'I'hear'a'preacher'announce'for'his'text'and'topic'the'expediency'of'one'of'the'institutions'of'his'church.'Do'I'not'know'beforehand'that'not'possibly'can'he'say'a'new'and'spontaneous'word?'Do'I'not'know'that,'with'all'this'ostentation'of'examining'the'grounds'of'the'institution,'he'will'do'no'such'thing?'Do'I'not'know'that'he'is'pledged'to'himself'not'to'look'but'at'one'side,'the'permitted'side,'not'as'a'man,'but'as'a'parish'minister?....Well,'most'men'have'bound'their'eyes'with'one'or'another'handkerchief,'and'attached'themselves'to'some'one'of'these'communities'of'opinion.''We'come'to'wear'one'cut'of'face'and'figure,'and'acquire'by'degrees'the'gentlest'asinine'expression.'There'is'a'mortifying'experience'in'particular,'which'does'not'fail'to'wreak'itself'also'in'the'general'history;'I'mean'the'foolish'face'of'praise,"'the'forced'smile'which'we'put'on'in'company'where'we'do'not'feel'at'ease'in'answer'to'conversation'which'does'not'interest'us.'The'muscles,'not'spontaneously'moved,'but'moved'by'a'low'usurping'wilfulness,'grow'tight'about'the'outline'of'the'face'with'the'most'disagreeable'sensation.''For'nonconformity'the'world'whips'you'with'its'displeasure.'And'therefore'a'man'must'know'how'to'estimate'a'sour'face….the'sour'faces'of'the'multitude,'like'their'sweet'faces,'have'no'deep'cause,'but'are'put'on'and'o_'as'the'wind'blows'and'a'newspaper'directs….''The'other'terror'that'scares'us'from'selfDtrust'is'our'consistency;'a'reverence'for'our'past'act'or'word,'because'the'eyes'of'others'have'no'other'data'for'computing'our'orbit'than'our'past'acts,'and'we'are'loath'to'disappoint'them.''But'why'should'you'keep'your'head'over'your'shoulder?'Why'drag'about'this'corpse'of'your'memory,'lest'you'contradict'somewhat'you'have'stated'in'this'or'that'public'place?'Suppose'you'should'contradict'yourself;'what'then?'It'seems'to'be'a'rule'of'wisdom'never'to'rely'on'your'memory'alone,'scarcely'even'in'acts'of'pure'memory,'but'to'bring'the'past'for'judgment'into'the'thousandDeyed'present,'and'live'ever'in'a'new'day….'' 'A'foolish'consistency'is'the'hobgoblin'of'little'minds,'adored'by'little'statesmen'and'philosophers'and'divines.'With'consistency'a'great'soul'has'simply'nothing'to'do.'He'may'as'well'concern'himself'with'his'shadow'on'the'wall.'Speak'what'you'think'now'in'hard'words,'and'toDmorrow'speak'what'toDmorrow'thinks'in'hard'words'again,'though'it'contradict'every'thing'you'said'toDday.'|'`Ah,'so'you'shall'be'sure'to'be'misunderstood.''|'Is'it'so'bad,'then,'to'be'misunderstood?'Pythagoras'was'misunderstood,'and'Socrates,'and'Jesus,'and'Luther,'and'Copernicus,'and'Galileo,'and'Newton,'and'every'pure'and'wise'spirit'that'ever'took'flesh.'To'be'great'is'to'be'misunderstood….''The'inquiry'leads'us'to'that'source,'at'once'the'essence'of'genius,'of'virtue,'and'of'life,'which'we'call'Spontaneity'or'Instinct.'We'denote'this'primary'wisdom'as'Intuition,'whilst'all'later'teachings'are'tuitions….'''If'our'young'men'miscarry'in'their'first'enterprises,'they'lose'all'heart.'If'the'young'merchant'fails,'men'say'he'is'ruined.'If'the'_nest'genius'studies'at'one'of'our'colleges,'and'is'not'installed'in'an'once'within'one'year'afterwards'in'the'cities'or'suburbs'of'Boston'or'New'York,'it'seems'to'his'friends'and'to'himself'that'he'is'right'in'being'disheartened,'and'in'complaining'the'rest'of'his'life.'A'sturdy'lad'from'New'Hampshire'or'Vermont,'who'in'turn'tries'all'the'professions,'who'teams'it,'farms'it,'peddles,'keeps'a'school,'preaches,'edits'a'newspaper,'goes'to'Congress,'buys'a'township,'and'so'forth,'in'successive'years,'and'always,'like'a'cat,'falls'on'his'feet,'is'worth'a'hundred'of'these'city'dolls.'He'walks'abreast'with'his'days,'and'feels'no'shame'in'not'`studying'a'profession,''for'he'does'not'postpone'his'life,'but'lives'already.'He'has'not'one'chance,'but'a'hundred'chances.'