Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes About Youth

• Passion rebuilds the world for the youth. It makes all things alive and significant.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Passion, Alive, World

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (2012). “Nature and Other Essays”, p.100, Courier Corporation

• Our young people are diseased with the theological problems of original sin, origin of evil, predestination, and the like. These never presented a practical difficulty to any man,--never darkened across any man's road, who did not go out of his way to seek them. These are the soul's mumps, and measles, and whooping- coughs, and those who have not caught them cannot describe their health or prescribe a cure. A simple mind will not know these enemies.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Men, Simple, Worry

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1850). “Essays”, p.118

• I am old, yet I look at wise men and see that I am very young. I look over those stars yonder, and into the myriads of the aspirant and ordered souls, and see I am a stranger and a youth and have yet my spurs to win. Too ridiculous are these airs of age.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Wise, Stars, Winning

• The search after the great men is the dream of youth, and the most serious occupation of manhood.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Dream, Greatness, Men

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1850). “Representative Men: Seven Lectures”, p.1

• In the woods too, a man casts off his years, as the snake his slough, and at what period soever of life, is always a child. In the woods, is perpetual youth.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Life, Nature, Children

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1983). “Essays and Lectures”, p.10, Library of America

• The youth, intoxicated with his admiration of a hero, fails to see, that it is only a projection of his own soul, which he admires.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Hero, Soul, Youth

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1983). “Essays and Lectures”, p.99, Library of America

• Manners make the fortune of the ambitious youth.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Ambitious, Youth, Courtesy

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1870). “The Prose Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Volume II”, p.406

• He who travels in search of something which he has not got, travels away from himself and grows old even in youth among old things.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Being Yourself, Being Single, Old Things

• The death of a dear friend, wife, brother, lover, which seemed nothing but privation, somewhat later assumes the aspect of a guide or genius; for it commonly operates revolutions in our way of life, terminates an epoch of infancy or of youth which was waiting to be closed, breaks up a wonted occupation, or a household, or style of living, and allows the formation of new ones more friendly to the growth of character.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Love, Brother, Character

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (2015). “Essays”, p.22, Xist Publishing

• Gross and obscure natures, however decorated, seem impure shambles; but character gives splendor to youth, and awe to wrinkled skin and gray hairs.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Nature, Character, Hair

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (2009). “Nature and Other Essays”, p.118, Courier Corporation

• Only to youth will spring be spring.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Inspirational, Children, Spring

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson (Illustrated)”, p.237, Delphi Classics

• When duty whispers low, Thou must, The youth replies, I can.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Military, Youth, Lows

  "Voluntaries" no. 3 (1867)

• I covet truth; beauty is unripe childhood's cheat; I leave it behind with the games of youth.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Games, Childhood, Youth

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (2015). “Poems”, p.25, The Floating Press

• So nigh is grandeur to our dust, So near is God to man, When Duty whispers low, 'Thou must,' The youth whispers, 'I can.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Men, Dust, Youth

  'Voluntaries' no. 3 (1867)

• Within, I do not find wrinkles and used heart, but unspent youth.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Heart, Wrinkles, Age

  Ralph Waldo Emerson, Bliss Perry (1926). “The Heart of Emerson's Journals”, p.306, Courier Corporation

• We judge of a man's wisdom by his hope, knowing that the inexhaustibleness of nature is an immortal youth.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Hope, Wisdom, Men

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (2008). “The Spiritual Emerson: Essential Works by Ralph Waldo Emerson”, p.44, Penguin

• Every young man is prone to be misled by the suggestions of his own ill-founded ambition which he mistakes for the promptings of asecret genius, and thence dreams of unrivaled greatness.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Dream, Mistake, Ambition

  Ralph Waldo Emerson, Joel Porte (1982). “Emerson in His Journals”, p.27, Harvard University Press

• In youth, we clothe ourselves with rainbows, and go as brave as the zodiac.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Zodiac, Rainbow, Brave

  Ralph Waldo Emerson, David Mikics (2012). “The Annotated Emerson”, p.423, Harvard University Press

• In youth, we clothe ourselves with rainbows, with hope & love, & go as brave as the zodiack. In age we put out another sort of perspiration; gout, fever, rheumatism, caprice, doubt, fretting, and avarice.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Rainbow, Brave, Doubt

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1975). “Journals and Miscellaneous Notebooks: 1848-1851”, p.168, Harvard University Press

• We see young men who owe us a new world, so readily and lavishly they promise, but they never acquit the debt; they die young anddodge the account: or if they live, they lose themselves in the crowd.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Men, Promise, Debt

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1981). “The Portable Emerson: New Edition”, p.204, Penguin

• How many attractions for us have our passing fellows in the streets, both male and female, which our ethics forbid us to express, which yet infuse so much pleasure into life. A lovely child, a handsome youth, a beautiful girl, a heroic man, a maternal woman, a venerable old man, charm us, though strangers, and we cannot say so, or look at them but for a moment.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Beautiful, Girl, Children

  Ralph Waldo Emerson, Richard Lee Grossman (2005). “A Year with Emerson: A Daybook”, p.197, David R. Godine Publisher

• An English family consists of a few persons, who, from youth to age, are found revolving within a few feet of each other, as if tied by some invisible ligature, tense as that cartilage which we have seen attaching the two Siamese.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Family, Two, Feet

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1866). “The Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson: Comprising His Essays, Lectures, Poems, and Orations”, p.48

• Wherever there is power, there is age. Don't be deceived by dimples and curls. I tell you that babe is a thousand years old.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Power, Years, Age

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1971). “The Collected Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson: Society and solitude”, p.160, Harvard University Press

• For, when men shall meet as they ought, each a benefactor, a shower of stars, clothed with thoughts, with deeds, with accomplishments, it should be the festival of nature which all things announce. Of such friendship, love in the sexes is the first symbol, as all other things are symbols of love. Those relations to the best men, which, at one time, we reckoned the romances of youth, become, in the progress of character, the most solid enjoyment.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Friendship, Stars, Sex

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1851). “Essays, lectures and orations”, p.216

• A third felicity of age is that it has found expression. The youth suffers not only from ungratified desires, but from powers untried, and from a picture in his mind of a career which has as yet no outward reality. He is tormented with the want of correspondence between things and thoughts.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Reality, Careers, Expression

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1971). “The Collected Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson: Society and solitude”, p.165, Harvard University Press

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