Heroism feels and never reasons and therefore is always right.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Emerson suggests that heroism relies on instinct and feeling rather than logic, making it inherently correct in its actions.
- In plain terms
- Heroes act on feelings rather than reason, and this makes them right.
- What can you take from it?
- Trust your instincts in moments requiring courage.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When did you trust your gut?
- Is instinct always right?
Another view
Sometimes reason is needed to avoid harmful mistakes.
More from Ralph Waldo Emerson
The ancestor of every action is a thought.
Permalink to quote #71 It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, - 'Always do what you are afraid to do.'
Permalink to quote #73 And what fastens attention, in the intercourse of life, like any passage betraying affection between two parties? Perhaps we never saw them before, and never s…
Permalink to quote #70
Related quotes
If moderation is a fault, then indifference is a crime.
Jack KerouacJack Kerouac quote #55 We are defined by how we use our power.
Gerry SpenceGerry Spence quote #1 'All our suffering comes from a deficiency to stand up for our beliefs.'
Heinz BarwichHeinz Barwich quote #1