Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes About Enemies

• He who has a thousand friends has not a friend to spare, while he who has one enemy shall meet him everywhere.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Inspirational, Friendship, Enemy

  "The Conduct of Life". Book by Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Considerations By the Way", 1860.

• Our young people are diseased with the theological problems of original sin, origin of evil, predestination, and the like. These never presented a practical difficulty to any man,--never darkened across any man's road, who did not go out of his way to seek them. These are the soul's mumps, and measles, and whooping- coughs, and those who have not caught them cannot describe their health or prescribe a cure. A simple mind will not know these enemies.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Men, Simple, Worry

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1850). “Essays”, p.118

• I hate to be defended in a newspaper. As long as all that is said is said against me, I feel a certain assurance of success. But as soon as honeyed words of praise are spoken for me, I feel as one that lies unprotected before his enemies.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Success, Lying, Hate

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1983). “Essays and Lectures”, p.298, Library of America

• As the Sandwich Islander believes that the strength and valor of the enemy he kills passes into himself, so we gain the strength of the temptation we resist.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Life, Success, Believe

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1983). “Essays and Lectures”, p.298, Library of America

• Five great enemies of peace inhabit us: avarice, ambition, envy, anger and pride.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Ambition, Pride, Envy

• My good hoe as it bites the ground revenges my wrongs, and I have less lust to bite my enemies. In the smoothing the rough hillocks, I smooth my temper.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Revenge, Hoe, Lust

  Ralph Waldo Emerson, Edward Waldo Emerson, Waldo Emerson Forbes (1911). “Journals of Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1820-1872 [1876] Ed”

• 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.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Years, Two, Enemy

  Ralph Waldo Emerson, Ronald A. Bosco, Joel Myerson (2015). “Ralph Waldo Emerson”, p.96, Harvard University Press

• The time will come when the evil forms we have known can no more be organized. Man's culture can spare nothing, wants all material. He is to convert all impediments into instruments, all enemies into power.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Men, Evil, Enemy

  Ralph Waldo Emerson, Barbara L. Packer, Joseph Slater, Douglas Emory Wilson (2003). “The Conduct of Life”, p.88, Harvard University Press

• The private life of one man shall be a more illustrious monarchy,--more formidable to its enemy, more sweet and serene in its influence to its friend, than any kingdom in history. For a man, rightly viewed, comprehendeth the particular natures of all men.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Sweet, Men, Enemy

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1981). “The Portable Emerson: New Edition”, p.72, Penguin

• A man makes inferiors his superiors by heat; self control is the rule. Anger is an uncontrollable feeling that betrays what you are when you are not yourself. Anger is that powerful internal force that blows out the light of reason. Know this to be the enemy: it is anger, born of desire.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Powerful, Anger, Men

• Steam was till the other day the devil which we dreaded. Every pot made by any human potter or brazier had a hole in its cover, to let off the enemy, lest he should lift pot and roof and carry the house away.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  House, Enemy, Devil

  Ralph Waldo Emerson, David Mikics (2012). “The Annotated Emerson”, p.419, Harvard University Press

• Use makes a better soldier than the most urgent considerations of duty,--familiarity with danger enabling him to estimate the danger. He sees how much is the risk, and is not afflicted with imagination; knows practically Marshal Saxe's rule, that every soldier killed costs the enemy his weight in lead.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  War, Imagination, Soldier

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1971). “The Collected Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson: Society and solitude”, p.132, Harvard University Press

• The finished man of the world must eat of every apple at once. He must hold his hatreds also at arm's length, and not remember spite. He has neither friends nor enemies, but values men only as channels of power.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Hate, Men, Apples

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1866). “The Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson: Comprising His Essays, Lectures, Poems, and Orations”, p.377

• So each man, like each plant, has his parasites. A strong, astringent, bilious nature has more truculent enemies than the slugs and moths that fret my leaves. Such a one has curculios, borers, knife-worms; a swindler ate him first, then a client, then a quack, then smooth, plausible gentlemen, bitter and selfish as Moloch.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Strong, Selfish, Character

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1866). “The Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson: Comprising His Essays, Lectures, Poems, and Orations”, p.327

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