Ralph Waldo Emerson? James Elliot Cabot? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Each day should be greeted with our optimism and aspirations. We should forgive ourselves for yesterday’s missteps. The transcendentalist philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson apparently made this point in a passage that begins with one of the following two phrases: Would you please help me …
Category Archives: Ralph Waldo Emerson
Quote Origin: Fear Defeats More People than Any Other One Thing in the World
Ralph Waldo Emerson? Elbert Hubbard? Napoleon Bonaparte? Dale Carnegie? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Self-help books encourage people to act with confidence and assurance because apprehension can block progress. I once read the following motivational statement: Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world. These words were attributed to the famous …
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Quote Origin: But In Analysing History Do Not Be Too Profound, for Often the Causes Are Quite Superficial
Creator: Ralph Waldo Emerson, prominent American essayist and transcendentalist philosopher Context: In 1836 when Emerson was 33 years old he wrote in his journal about bloody events in Spain and France. Emphasis added to excerpt: But in analysing history do not be too profound, for often the causes are quite superficial. In the present state …
Quote Origin: Always Do What You Are Afraid To Do
Quotation: Always do what you are afraid to do. Popularizer: Ralph Waldo Emerson (He did not create the adage.) Context: In 1841 Emerson published the essay “Heroism”, and he recommended a simple maxim to readers for overcoming trepidation. Some fears are justified, and the guidance does not encourage foolish or self-destructive actions. Emerson disclaimed credit …
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Quote Origin: As a Cure for Worrying, Work Is Better Than Whisky
Thomas Edison? Ralph Waldo Emerson? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Using alcohol to provide solace when experiencing apprehension is often unwise. The famous inventor and businessman Thomas Edison preferred hard work and reportedly said: As a cure for worrying, work is better than whisky Oddly, the same saying has been attributed to the noteworthy thinker …
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Quote Origin: We Are All Broken. That’s How the Light Gets In
Ernest Hemingway? Leonard Cohen? Ralph Waldo Emerson? Benjamin Blood? Rumi? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: It is impossible to avoid all pain and suffering during a lifetime, but I believe that our setbacks have a larger meaning and purpose. The famous author Ernest Hemingway reportedly said the following: We are all broken. That’s how the …
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Quote Origin: Sometimes You Eat the Bear, and Sometimes the Bear Eats You
Ralph Waldo Emerson? Sam Elliott? Ethan Coen? Joel Coen? Bertrand W. Sinclair? Carl O. Sauer? Roger Penske? Jim Croce? Preacher Roe? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: There is a family of ursine sayings about the topsy-turvy vicissitudes of life: 1) Sometimes you eat the bear, and sometimes the bear eats you.2) Sometimes you hunt the …
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Quote Origin: What Is History But a Fable Agreed Upon?
Napoléon Bonaparte? Voltaire? Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle? Claude Adrien Helvétius? Wendell Phillips? Ralph Waldo Emerson? Question for Quote Investigator: A popular skeptical viewpoint about history can be expressed in a few different ways: 1) What is history but a fable agreed upon?2) History is a set of lies agreed upon.3) History is a set …
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Quote Origin: I Have Forgotten the Books I Have Read and the Dinners I Have Eaten, But They Both Helped Make Me
Ralph Waldo Emerson? G. B. Emerson? Charles Gordon Ames? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The well-known lecturer and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson has been credited with a provocative remark about reading and memory: I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me. I …
Quote Origin: Make It a Point To Do Something Every Day That You Don’t Want To Do
Mark Twain? Eleanor Roosevelt? Mary Schmich? Ralph Waldo Emerson? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Mark Twain said something about doing at least one thing each day that you should do despite the fact that it makes you feel uncomfortable. I do not remember precisely how the expression was phrased. Here are two pertinent statements: Do …
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