In brief
Emerson's essay first appeared in Essays: First Series in 1841. Its argument is simple and bold: each person carries an inner voice worth trusting more than custom, tradition, or the opinions of others. Imitation and conformity, he says, waste the one thing that is truly ours.
New Thought did not begin with Emerson, but nearly every writer in this library borrowed from him. From Emerson they took the idea that the divine speaks through the individual mind, and that confident, self-directed thinking shapes the course of a life.
Key ideas
- Trust your own intuition before borrowed opinion.
- Consistency for its own sake is a trap. Be willing to change your mind.
- Real prayer is an attitude of the mind, not a request for private favors.
- Peace comes from within, not from circumstance.
In the author’s words
“Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.”Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.”Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance
“Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.”Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance
Who it’s for
Read it if you want the root of the whole tradition in a single sitting. It is also the first step on our “first evening” reading path.