Self-Reliance and Other Essays
Emerson gave Americans permission to trust themselves over tradition, authority, and conformity.
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Influence
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Popularity
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“Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.”
Why It Matters
Emerson gave Americans permission to trust themselves over tradition, authority, and conformity. "Self-Reliance" is the essay that launched a thousand startups, communes, and dropout manifestos — for better and worse. Its ideas about nonconformity and individual conscience run through everything from Thoreau to Silicon Valley.
The 
Take
Personal reviewPowerful, invigorating, philosophical, short
Notable Quotes
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.”
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”