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Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes about Character - Page 3

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Talent is commonly developed at the expense of character.

Talent is commonly developed at the expense of character.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Character, Talent, Sensuality
Ralph Waldo Emerson (2010). “The Later Lectures of Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1843-1871”, p.94, University of Georgia 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

It is the duty of men to judge men only by their actions. Our faculties furnish us with no means of arriving at the motive, the character, the secret self. We call the tree good from its fruits, and the man, from his works.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Character, Mean, Men
Ralph Waldo Emerson (2006). “Ralph Waldo Emerson: Selected Essays, Lectures and Poems”, p.58, Bantam Classics

Human character evermore publishes itself. The most fugitive deed and word, the intimated purpose, express character.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Character, Deeds And Words, Purpose

A man is like a bit of Labrador spar, which has no luster as you turn it in your hand, until you come to a particular angle; then it shows deep and beautiful colors.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Beautiful, Character, Men
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1993). “Self-reliance, and Other Essays”, p.88, Courier Corporation

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

Do you see that kitten chasing so prettily her own tail? If you could look with her eyes, you might see her surrounded with hundreds of figures performing complex dramas, with tragic and comic issues, long conversations, many characters, many ups and downs of fate.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Drama, Character, Cat
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1983). “Essays and Lectures”, p.489, Library of America

The foundation of culture, as of character, is at last the moral sentiment.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Character, Foundation, Culture
Ralph Waldo Emerson (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson (Illustrated)”, p.2630, Delphi Classics

The victories of character are instant, and victories for all.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Character, Victory, Instant
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1866). “The Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson: Comprising His Essays, Lectures, Poems, and Orations”, p.390

We pass for what we are. Character teaches above our wills. Men imagine that they communicate thier virtue or vice by overt actions, and do not see that virtue or vice emit a breath ever moment....One tendency unites them all. The voyage of the best ship is a zsig zag line of a hundred tacks. See the line from a sufficent distance and it straightens itslef to the average tendency.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Distance, Character, Men

If the single man plant himself indomitably on his instincts, and there abide, the huge world will come round to him.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Inspirational, Being Yourself, Character
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1851). “Essays, lectures and orations”, p.505

Self Esteem::"It is very easy in the world to live by the opinion of the world. It is very easy in solitude to be self-centered. But the finished man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude. I knew a man of simple habits and earnest character who never put out his hands nor opened his lips to court the public, and having survived several rotten reputations of younger men, honor came at last and sat down with him upon his private bench from which he had never stirred."

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Self Esteem, Character, Simple

A character is like an acrostic or Alexandrian stanza; - read it forward, backward, or across, it still spells the same thing.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Character, Stills, Spells
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Alfred Riggs Ferguson, Jean Ferguson Carr (1987). “The Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson”, p.34, Harvard University Press

That which we call character is a reserved force which acts directly by presence, and without means. It is conceived of as a certain undemonstrable force, a familiar or genius, by whose impulses the man is guided, but whose counsels he cannot impart.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Character, Mean, Men
Ralph Waldo Emerson (2012). “The Selected Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson”, p.134, Graphic Arts Books

We are like travellers using the cinders of a volcano to roast their eggs. Whilst we see that it always stands ready to clothe what we would say, we cannot avoid the question whether the characters are not significant of themselves.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Character, Volcanoes, Eggs
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1981). “The Portable Emerson: New Edition”, p.43, Penguin

The most Indian thing about the Indian is surely not his moccasins or his calumet, his wampum or his stone hatched, but traits of character and sagacity, skill, or passion.

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

The death of a dear friend, wife, brother, lover, which seemed nothing but privation, somewhat later assumes the aspect of a guide or genius; for it commonly operates revolutions in our way of life, terminates an epoch of infancy or of youth which was waiting to be closed, breaks up a wonted occupation, or a household, or style of living, and allows the formation of new ones more friendly to the growth of character.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Love, Brother, Character
Ralph Waldo Emerson (2015). “Essays”, p.22, Xist Publishing

Our people are slow to learn the wisdom of sending character instead of talent to Congress. Again and again they have sent a man of great acuteness, a fine scholar, a fine forensic orator, and some master of the brawls has crunched him up in his hands like a bit of paper.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Character, Men, Hands
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1971). “The Journals and Miscellaneous Notebooks of Ralph Waldo Emerson”, p.90, Harvard University Press

For you, o broker, there is no other principle but arithmetic. For me, commerce is of trivial import; love, faith, truth of character, the aspiration of man, these are sacred; nor can I detach one duty, like you, from all other duties, and concentrate my forces mechanically on the payment of moneys.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Money, Character, Men
Ralph Waldo Emerson (2015). “Essays”, p.70, Xist Publishing

As men get on in life, they acquire a love for sincerity, and somewhat less solicitude to be lulled or amused. In the progress ofthe character, there is an increasing faith in the moral sentiment, and a decreasing faith in propositions.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Character, Men, Progress
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1872). “Representative men. English traits. Conduct of life”, p.436

Character wants room; must not be crowded on by persons, nor be judged from glimpses got in the press of affairs, or on few occasions. It needs perspective, as a great building.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Character, Perspective, Glimpse
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Alfred Riggs Ferguson, Jean Ferguson Carr (1987). “The Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson”, p.281, Harvard University Press

We know who is benevolent, by quite other means than the amount of subscriptions to soup-societies. It is only low merits that canbe enumerated.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Character, Mean, Soup
Ralph Waldo Emerson (2000). “Selected Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson: (A Modern Library E-Book)”, p.414, Modern Library

Divine persons are character born, or, to borrow a phrase from Napoleon, they are victory organized.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Leadership, Character, Victory
Ralph Waldo Emerson (2009). “The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson”, p.336, Modern Library

Character repudiates intellect, yet excites it; and character passes into thought, is published so, and then is ashamed before newflashes of moral worth.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Character, Morality, Ashamed
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1851). “Essays, lectures and orations”, p.213

And the glory of character is in affronting the horrors of depravity to draw thence new nobilities of power: as Art lives and thrills in new use and combining of contrasts, and mining into the dark evermore for blacker pits of night.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Art, Character, Dark
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1983). “Essays and Lectures”, p.1084, Library of America

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