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Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson — WisdomDeck honest review
Honest review · Character

Self-Reliance

by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emerson's 1841 essay: trust yourself, consistency is a hobgoblin, society conspires against the manhood of its members, and envy is ignorance. It is the American root of every 'be yourself' book and almost none of its descendants write this well.

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Read it if…

you want the original argument for individuality in forty pages.

Skip it if…

you want steps; Emerson gives you sentences.

Three things you will actually use

  1. Trust thyself.
  2. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.
  3. Imitation is suicide.

Do this first

Read it twice: once fast, once with a pencil.

Our verdict

The original, in forty pages.

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