The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) was an American essayist and lecturer, and the central figure of Transcendentalism. He left the ministry to write and speak publicly, and his essays Nature and Self-Reliance laid the groundwork for American thinking about the individual and their relation to society.
About this theme: Inspiration
The word inspiration literally means breathing in — something arriving from outside. The image is old, and it explains why inspiration is so often discussed as a gift that either comes or does not. The working practice of almost everyone who has made anything says the opposite: it usually shows up in the middle of the work rather than before it.
More by Ralph Waldo Emerson
More on Inspiration
- Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.— Marcus Aurelius
- It always seems impossible until it's done.— Nelson Mandela
- Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached.— Swami Vivekananda
- When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.— Henry Ford
- I would rather die of passion than of boredom.— Vincent van Gogh