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#172 Trust Thyself

"Trust thyself."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, 19th century Transcendental philosopher

Socrates: "Know thyself."

Emerson: "Trust thyself."

In my mind, those four words come close to a complete philosophy on how to live.

Add a fifth word: "Love" and I think we might just be there...

Try it out. Let me know what you think.

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The Complete Passage from Self-Reliance:

"Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. Accept the place the divine providence has found for you, the society of your contemporaries, the connection of events. Great men have always done so, and confided themselves childlike to the genius of their age, betraying their perception that the absolutely trustworthy was seated at their heart, working through their hands, predominating in all their being. And we are now men, and must accept in the highest mind the same transcendent destiny; and not minors and invalids in a protected corner, not cowards fleeing before a revolution, but guides, redeemers, and benefactors, obeying the Almighty effort, and advancing on Chaos and the Dark."