"Men admire the man who can organize their wishes and thoughts in stone and wood and steel and brass."

Respect

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Insight & Reflection

This reflection on respect by Ralph Waldo Emerson resonates across generations. It highlights a fundamental truth about human nature: our continuous search for meaning in respect is what ultimately defines our character and our path forward.

About Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson, who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champion of individualism and critical thinking, as well as a prescient critic of the countervailing pressures of society and conformity. The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche thought he was "the most gifted of the Americans", and Walt Whitman called Emerson his "master".

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Editorial Note: This quote is curated and fact-checked by the Quotes Archive Editorial Team. Verified Literature Specialist.

More by Ralph Waldo Emerson

"It is a subtle truth that the moral compass points true only when freed from the magnetism of personal gain — an essential principle for the reflective life."

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"It is a radiant truth that strive today so that tomorrow may stand upon solid ground — an essential principle for the reflective life."

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More about Respect

"If a writer knows enough about what he is writing about, he may omit things that he knows. The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one ninth of it being above water."

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"Society as a whole benefits immeasurably from a climate in which all persons, regardless of race or gender, may have the opportunity to earn respect, responsibility, advancement and remuneration based on ability."

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"Americans admire a people who can scratch a desert and produce a garden. The Israelis have shown qualities that Americans identify with: guts, patriotism, idealism, a passion for freedom. I have seen it. I know. I believe that."

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