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Meaning
This points to happiness as reverence, not possession. Emerson can be read as saying that nature teaches humility and worship by showing a order larger than the self, and that this recognition is what steadies the spirit. The line lands on a still morning, in a forest, or whenever someone feels restored by noticing the natural world.
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Original Language & Translation
Originally said in English.
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About Ralph Waldo Emerson
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.
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More Nature quotes
- “Losing myself interests me. The fertile topsoil interests me, sprawling beneath a light dusting of snow, and…”S.K. Kalsi
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Explore Happiness
- “We still counted happiness and health and love and luck and beautiful children as "ordinary blessings.”Joan Didion
- “The only way I can be angry at you is when I have thought, said, or done something that is unkind in my own o…”Byron Katie
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READ THE SOURCE
Books by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Essays: First Series
Includes Self-Reliance.