Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Self-Reliance
Name
Institution
Self-Reliance
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency, a great soul has simply nothing to do?
In this statement, Emerson means that fools are little minds who like pleasing others. Thus they only do things that will please other people. However, there are people who do great things without fear of what will be said to them. Fools consistently pursue the same things with the fear of trying out something new, thus they cannot achieve greatness. That is why, a person thus needs to know when it is time for a change as one can make their tomorrow different but one needs to leave behind their theories and pursue their dreams.
“little statesmen and philosophers” and the misunderstood
The misunderstood as per Emerson refer to the people who courageously pursue greatness without the fear of others. On the other side, the statesmen and philosophers are those who mock and misunderstand others based on the decisions they make. The difference between them is that the former are great achievers as they fear no one or what they can say while the latter are judgmental and concern themselves with others thus they are little minds.
“To be great is to be misunderstood.”
In this quote, Emerson tries to emphasize to people that what one does, not have to appeal to everyone (Emerson, 1841). This means that when a person is doing something original and great there will be some people who will not get it.

I agree with Emerson on this view as people are bound to have contradictory views on various issues. Consequently, one should allow their thoughts and ideas run freely without fear of what others will think of them as long as they are doing the right thing.
“God will not have His work made manifest by cowards”
This text means that good things only happen when one overcomes fear, thus people have to be courageous and one must walk in their own truth. Only when one does this will God’s full glory be seen in the person’s life. By walking in complete trust and faith a person is due to see the works of God manifest in their life (Emerson, 1841). I agree with Emerson as fear and worries create doubt blocking a person from positivity, pure love, and creativity which are what defines one’s true nature.
“Truth thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string”
In this statement, Emerson means that every person needs to not believe anyone but themselves as people are different and with different destinations. One should, therefore, depend on their own inner abilities rather than expecting success to come from others. I agree with this view as we all have our own consciousness that should guide our moves.
References
Emerson, R.W .(1841). Self-Reliance.