Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes About Character

• Character is higher than intellect... A great soul will be strong to live, as well as strong to think.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Inspirational, Strength, Success

  "The American Scholar". Ralph Waldo Emerson's Oration delivered before the Phi Beta Kappa Society, at Cambridge, emersoncentral.com. August 31, 1837.

• Words are also actions, and actions are a kind of words.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Character, Action, Kind

  Ralph Waldo Emerson, Robert Ernest Spiller, Alfred Riggs Ferguson, Joseph Slater, Jean Ferguson Carr (1971). “The Collected Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson: Essays, second series”, p.6, Harvard University Press

• Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Motivational, Business, Character

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1971). “The Collected Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson: Society and solitude”, p.148, Harvard University Press

• People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Positive, Attitude, I Hate You

• Let not a man guard his dignity, but let his dignity guard him.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Motivational, Attitude, Character

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1976). “Journals and Miscellaneous Notebooks of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Volume XII: 1835-1862”, p.69, Harvard University Press

• What you are comes to you.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Character, Law Of Attraction, Self Pity

• The louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Truth, Lying, Character

  The Conduct of Life "Worship" (1860)

• No change of circumstances can repair a defect of character.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Change, Character, Angel

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson (Illustrated)”, p.1454, Delphi Classics

• Insist on yourself. Never imitate.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Inspirational, Karma, Encouragement

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1964). “The Early Lectures of Ralph Waldo Emerson”, p.151, Harvard University Press

• To finish the moment, to find the journey's end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Life, Positive, Wisdom

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1981). “The Portable Emerson: New Edition”, p.207, Penguin

• Judge of your natural character by what you do in your dreams.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Inspirational, Dream, Character

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1964). “The Journals and Miscellaneous Notebooks of Ralph Waldo Emerson”, p.71, Harvard University Press

• What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Inspirational, Leadership, Communication

• A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Love, Inspirational, Motivational

• The Gods we worship write their names on our faces; be sure of that. And a man will worship something ... That which dominates will determine his life and character. Therefore it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Writing, Character, Men

• The true test of civilization is not the census, nor the size of cities, nor the crops - no, but the kind of man the country turns out.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Country, Character, Men

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1971). “The Collected Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson: Society and solitude”, p.16, Harvard University Press

• If you would not be known to do anything, never do it.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Inspirational, Character, Known

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1964). “The Early Lectures of Ralph Waldo Emerson”, p.150, Harvard University Press

• The antidote to this abuse of formal Government, is, the influence of private character, the growth of the Individual.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Character, Government, Abuse

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson (Illustrated)”, p.1505, Delphi Classics

• In spite of warnings, change rarely occurs until the status quo becomes more painful than change. People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Character, People, Warning

• It is only when mind and character slumber that the dress can be seen. If the intellect were always awake, and every noble sentiment, the man might go in huckaback or mats, and his dress would be admired and imitated.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Character, Mind, Dresses

  "The Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson".

• The State must follow, and not lead, the character and progress of the citizen.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Character, Progress, Citizens

  Essays, Second Series "Politics" (1844)

• But the wise know that foolish legislation is a rope of sand, which perishes in the twisting; that the State must follow, and notlead the character and progress of the citizen; the strongest usurper is quickly got rid of; and they only who build on Ideas, build for eternity; and that the form of government which prevails, is the expression of what cultivation exists in the population which permits it.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Wise, Character, Government

  Ralph Waldo Emerson, David Mikics (2012). “The Annotated Emerson”, p.250, Harvard University Press

• Do what you know and perception is converted into character.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Character, Perception, Thrive

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1866). “The Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson: Comprising His Essays, Lectures, Poems, and Orations”, p.234

• It takes a good deal of character to judge a person by his future instead of his past

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Character, Past, Judging

• That which dominates our imagination and our thoughts will determine our life and character.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Character, Imagination, Coaching

• For the most part, only the light characters travel. Who are you that have no task to keep you at home?

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Travel, Home, Character

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1870). “The Prose Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Volume II”, p.392

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