Immortality. I notice that as soon as writers broach this question they begin to quote. I hate quotation. Tell me what you know.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Emerson criticizes the habit of relying on others' words instead of expressing original thought.
- In plain terms
- Stop quoting others and tell me your own ideas.
- What can you take from it?
- Prioritize original thought over borrowed wisdom.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When did you last share an idea without citing someone else?
- How do you balance learning from others with finding your own voice?
Another view
Some topics require referencing established knowledge to be understood.
More from Ralph Waldo Emerson
I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavad Gita. It was the first of books; it was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, con…
Permalink to quote #43 Blessed are those who have no talent!
Permalink to quote #45 Poetry must be new as foam, and as old as the rock.
Permalink to quote #42
Related quotes
By the way, would you convey my compliments to the purist who reads your proofs and tell him or her that I write in a sort of broken-down patois which is somet…
Raymond ChandlerRaymond Chandler quote #10 One cannot conceive anything so strange and so implausible that it has not already been said by one philosopher or another.
Rene DescartesRene Descartes quote #14 No writing has any real value which is not the expression of genuine thought and feeling. (20 December 1939)
Eleanor RooseveltEleanor Roosevelt quote #29