Go to the following website to read more of Emerson's quotes: Emerson Quotes
In a comment below:
- Choose ONE of Emerson's aphorisms
- Start out by displaying your selected quote (use appropriate formatting)
- Explain what the aphorism means
- Explain why you agree or disagree
- Give a real life example or scenario to support your point
- Your response should be a solid paragraph that is at least five sentences long, not including your quote.
Sample Response:
"Don't waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good."
This quote addresses the fact that there is a lot of negativity in the world, but we shouldn't waste our time and energy ranting about it. That only fuels more negativity. Instead, we should put our time and energy into celebrating and contributing to what is good. I agree with this statement, because although we cannot control and are not responsible for the words and actions of others, we have complete control of and complete responsibility for our own words and actions. Words can wound or heal, and choosing to encourage, uplift, inspire, and point out beauty and success is a much more honorable legacy. I'd rather be known for what I'm FOR than known for what I'm AGAINST. In light of recent terrorist attacks, social media has been riddled with cruel and hateful comments towards people of differing viewpoints. Instead of wasting time "barking against the bad," turning against each other, spreading negativity, and rewarding terrorists with spotlight and attention, we should all focus on the positive stories of heroism, sacrifice, generosity, and the beauty of good.
Sample Comment
ReplyDelete"Every artist was first an amateur"
DeleteThis quote states that nobody is going to do something perfect the first time they try it and that people need to practice to become professionals. I agree with this because practice will always make a person better at what they are doing. In sports and some music people have to practice a lot in order to be good at playing a certain sport or instrument. People in real life have to practice to be good at something and it is the effort that makes them good and not something they are born with for the most part. Its the persons choice to be a professional or make excuses not to do something until they are good at it.
"Nothing can bring you peace but yourself"
ReplyDeleteThis quote explains that only you are able to bring yourself peace in this world and that nothing else really can. You can not be at peace and live a happy life unless you yourself are peaceful within. I definitely agree with this quote because if you are not peaceful inside yourself as you live in a world full of war and hatred you will never find peace. These wars aren't always between other people, many people are at war within themselves and no matter what they are surrounded by whether it be peace and love, they will still be at war with themselves. The only way that they can become peaceful is if they are able to find peace within themselves, no one else can bring that to you. You are the only person who can bring yourself internal peace.
“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.”
ReplyDeleteThis quote portrays the idea that in life you must become the best version of yourself that you can be because you only have one life and that’s all you get. I agree with this aphorism because it is true that we only get one life and I feel that we need to make the most of it. No one wants to be on their death bed one day, thinking about all the things they didn’t do or say out of fear. You only have one body, and one life. You only get one chance to make it or break it.
“The ancestor of every action is a thought.”
ReplyDeleteThe quotation above means that you always think about what you do before you act on it. I do agree with this statement because, even when people are reactionary people and say they “act without thinking” isn’t true. They do think. Let’s say two people got into an argument because one of them said something offensive. The other person reacts, but the start of that reaction was, “That was wrong for them to say. That really hurts me and makes me angry.” This shows that to every action does start with a thought.
"The only way to have a friend is to be one."
ReplyDeleteThis quote above means that, if you want friends. You have to be one to get one. Just like Newton said, every action has its same opposite equal reaction. So if you are nice to someone, they will be nice back. If you are mean to someone, they will be mean back. This explains that if you want friends, you have to act like a friend to get friends.
"Every sweet has its sour; every evil its good."
ReplyDeleteThis quote conveys the idea that with every bad thing, there can be good found within it. I strongly agree with this quote because sometimes things may seem bad, but in the long run are for the best. It is very positive to be able to find the good in the bad. As humans we see many examples of this throughout our lives. Someone may not get accepted to the college they originally wanted and they'd be very disappointed, but that gives them the opportunity to get accepted into a better college where they may succeed more. I feel that this a very positive quote and can help us live happier lives.
“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
ReplyDeleteThis aphorism means that a person who is really excited about something will do whatever it take to achieve greatness. If a person does not want to do it, they will not work as hard at it and not have a great end result. I agree with this quote because if there is not enthusiasm or excitement in something a person does they won’t stand out or have that extra wow factor that. I compare this quote to sports, if someone really wants to be a good athlete they will put in the extra practice to keep getting better. If someone isn’t really interested in the sport they play they won’t put in the expected amount of time to practice let alone the extra time.
The quote “I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.” by Ralph Waldo Emerson form US essayist & poet (1803 - 1882), tells me that every morning he gives thanks to god. Mr. Emerson gives thanks for his old and new friends and he gives thanks for learning from the past. Also, he gives thanks for living and seeing a new day. This quotes relates to me because I always pray and give thanks for the food we have received on the table, before I eat dinner with my family. I also relate to the part were he is thankful for living and seeing a new day because I fell a sleep twice with headphones in and I woke up once with them around my arm. Also, I woke up with them around my neck which was when I really thank the lord for letting me see the next day. That's what I think Mr. Ralph Emerson meant by that quote and how it relates with me.
ReplyDelete“Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect.”
ReplyDeleteThis quote says that if you just reply on luck in your life you won’t get far, to be successful you need to do something about reaching your goals and you will get the outcome you want or don’t want. I agree with that statement, because just waiting around to get lucky won’t help you achieve your goals. If you go out and reach for your goals you will get the outcome you were looking for, which will make you stronger in the long run. I feel like this quote encourages people to go out and achieve there beliefs.
The quote "Insist on yourself; never imitate...Every great man is unique." is a great reflection on Emerson's beliefs in individuality and how ones beliefs should not be mirrored by another in the name of fitting in. This is one of his core beliefs in some of his other works he compares conforming to others as "spiritual suicide" he believes that all individuals no matter what should be themselves and should never conform to society because that would be even worse than to be ridiculed as they already are. So in conclusion he wants people to be thinkers, not followers and have their own ideas.
ReplyDelete“The foolish man wonders at the unusual, but the wise man at the usual.”
ReplyDeleteThis aphorism means that those who are baffled by things that are strange are not truly smart, but those who are baffled by the norm are truly smart. It does not take much mental ability to agree with something that the crowd supports, but it does require mental fortitude to go against the grain and accept the unusual as okay, and the normal customs as incorrect. I agree with this, because I feel it is very easy to agree with others, it does not provide any room for you to be an individual. Disagreeing with the crowd separates you from others, and only when you allow separation from everyone else can you discover who you are and how you feel. Our generation is full of many copies of everyone else, simply people pretending to fit in, simply so they can fit in at all. But, it is a good thing to not fit in, because it teaches independence which is uncommon in this day and age especially with children. A good example of this behavior is displayed by fashion and the general look of people. Many are afraid to dress, or maybe do their hair a certain way because it does not conform with society. This fear is what creates a herd mentality among people and prevents individualism in social situations. As a result, we have many children who look exactly the same whether it be how they dress, or present themselves otherwise, they seem to be copies of each other. Once as a whole we break out of our custom of fitting in with the crowd, we can become familiar with more unusual thoughts and ideas which is what we need to further ourselves in the world.
As the famous writer Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “If I have lost confidence in myself, I have the universe against me” which is true. The quote has different meanings to different people but can be related to many. To me the quote means that when you give up on yourself you’ll start to think everyone and everything is against you. You’ll constantly doubt yourself including everything you do which will alter the way you are as an individual. The person who has lost confidence will fade into the crowd to make themselves invisible to the others around them. It leads them to isolation, low self-esteem, withdraw from their place in society, lack of communication and the only thing gained is a depressing state of mind. Ralphs quote is extremely accurate to how reality is. This quote stuck out to me because I’ve went through a tough time where I felt like the world was against me and everyone on it. However later I realized it was only me limiting myself from my real potential and the way I would go through my day on a daily basis. Being called a Jew, lesbian, whore and stupid took away my self-confidence and my self-value. I let the opinions of people dictate what I did on my own time and it changed the way I had relationships with people. Whether it was being friends with someone or with my family. My thought process was that if I met someone new it was like those words were branded on my body identifying me for them to see. When really it was my own insecurities taking over and it wasn’t the whole universe. However getting the confidence back brought me out of my shell and with that came friends a better life and happiness.
ReplyDelete"We all boil at different degrees."
ReplyDeleteThis quote represents that everyone has different breaking points. I interpret this as when someone gets hurt, some people can handle more pain or frustration than others. I agree with this statement because people who grow up through a hard times and struggles at a young age tend to be able to handle a lot more than someone who had an easy childhood with no problems. For example, kids that go through break ups from tend to be very upset, or mad if they truly cared about the person. Some kids break down and want to just be alone. And other are sad but continue in their normal lives even though they are going through a hard time. The kids that take is hard boil at a lower point than the kids that continue their lives. People that continue their lives tend to have had issues in the past and are able to coup better than kids that have easy lives.
"The reward of a thing well done is to have done it."
ReplyDeleteThis quote means that the best reward in anything is having achieved it yourself. For example if someone tries really hard to accomplish a high GPA and they don't accomplish it at first they could be upset. When they eventually get the highest GPA in the class then the reward is not only the highest grade, it is the feeling of accomplishing it. If someone doesn't really care about accomplishing anything they probably don't care about feeling rewarded. Feeling accomplished is the best reward rather than just completing something.
"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could."
ReplyDeleteThis quote explains that at the end of the day everything that has happened, happened. You can't change what happened. Don't keep thinking back on what occurred on that day. It must have happened for a reason. Each day, start off with a brand new mind set. Looking back at the past could just make things worse.
“What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say”
ReplyDeleteRalph Emerson’s quote states that words are not as meaningful as actions. This quote is so similar to the quotes “actions speak louder than words”. For example if a person was sorry about a mistake they made and apologize it is not like the person they are apologizing to will not accept it, but proving the feeling of sorrow is more sincere. I personally agree with this quote. I believe that proving something to someone instead of saying something is more meaningful. I feel as though words are often misused or used for the wrong reasons. If I wanted to prove my apology is sincere I would prove to that person verbally and physically. Not only does this quote work upon the previous example, but also when proving something to someone. For example, if someone says that they promise not to do something, does it anyways, and promises not to do it again then this quote fits in perfectly. Providing proof instead of saying the mistake won’t happen again is just another example of actions speaking louder than words. I would much rather be the friend of someone who can prove themselves instead of a friend that is smooth with their words.
“The end of the human race will be that it will eventually die of civilization”
ReplyDeleteThis quote basically says that the collapse of mankind will be caused by itself. I agree with this, I can see ourselves as a species kill ourselves off before a natural occurrence does. With the gains in technology and communication the world is getting closer and closer. You would think that this would create a closer understanding for each other’s culture and thus make everybody respect and treat others well. This is not the case though, and it can be seen just by turning on the television. Everybody is fighting against someone and there is a lot of tension in the world. I think what Emerson was trying to say with this quote is that humans will hate one another, and until that changes, we will be at fault for our own demise.
“The only way to have a friend is to be one”
ReplyDeleteThis quote means that a friend is someone who is close to you. A friend is like family. This person will be as close to you as a sister, or brother. Be a listener and a shoulder to lean on. Honesty and compassion makes a good friend. If a person can be a friend to you then you can be friend to them. This quote is very true. If you don’t have any friends, how can you be a friend? There is no one to trust you or confide in you. Like I said friendship is a give and take relationship.
"God enters by a private door into every individual."
ReplyDeleteThis aphorism by Emerson interprets that every individual believes in their own god, and whichever they believe in is private and personal. I agree with this statement immensely. Especially, in today's society religion is controversial, many people express their thoughts about it openly (via social media) and carelessly, religion isn't as taboo as it once was. With this many people feel like the religion they believe in is something they ought to be ashamed and embarrassed about. Everyone has a right to practice their own religion, and that shouldn't be interrupted by other person(s) conflicting views.
"I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."
ReplyDeleteThe quote means that people today are so deep into quoting others that they never show their true intelligence. I agree with this quote for the simple reason that everyday I hear somebody quoting a pointless saying. However, I also disagree with this quote. Some quotes can teach strong life lessons. Other quotes, however aren't as special. For example, at least once a day I hear people scream, "what are those," down the hallway. On the contrary, there are also those quotes that are inspirational and powerful, such as, "the only difference between truth and lies, is courage and cowardice." Too many people use quotes today that have no meaning behind them, and it destroys a time that could have changed a generation.
“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could.”
ReplyDeleteThis Quote helps to display that once you do/finish something, you no longer need to refer to it. This quote also explains that even if your day was bad, you did what you were able to that day and you should dread on it. I agree with the quote in the fact that it helps to encourage people to move on with their lives and not to focus on the good or bad they have done in the past. Every time I read the quote it reminds me of our football team. Our “motto” for this season was one game at a time, which was the same concept of this quote focus on one day at a time.], that’s why I believe we were so successful this season.
"To be great is to be misunderstood". This quote shows that people who are brilliant are the ones that people don't understand. Also what Emerson is trying to say is that the people that the populations actually understand are the celebrities but nobody cares about the people like scientists and other geniuses that actually do good for the world are the ones people need to learn more about. I agree with Emerson yes celebrities are cool but the people who actually do good things are entirely misunderstood and they deserve more than that. This quote represents how all of the kids in school look up to the athletes and look at the "nerdy" kids like there's something wrong with them when they are the ones who may actually do good for humanity one day. The misunderstood people of society are the ones who could actually do something great and I believe that is what Emerson is trying to say in this aphorism.
ReplyDelete