“That which we are, we shall teach, not voluntarily, but involuntarily. Thoughts come into our minds by avenues which we never left open, and thoughts go out of our minds through avenues which we never voluntarily opened.”

American essayist and poet of the 19th century, Emerson is best known for his transcendentalist philosophy and influential lectures on self-reliance and individualism. His works, including "Self-Reliance" and "Nature," championed intuition, personal experience, and the inherent goodness of humanity.