Ralph Waldo Emerson's Self Reliance

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American transcendentalist philosopher and essayist. Between 1836 and 1837 he presented a series of lectures on the philosophy of history at Boston’s Masonic Temple. Many of the ideas expressed in these lectures were later used in Self-Reliance, first published in 1841, in which Emerson illustrated the need for each individual to avoid conformity and to follow his or her own instincts. Andrew Holmes’ interpretation of Self-Reliance illustrates the timeless nature of Emerson’s insights using twenty-first century examples. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self-Reliance is an entertaining and eye-opening accompaniment to a true self-help classic. Today’s readers will discover: • How to recognise in every work of genius their own rejected thoughts; • Why imitation is suicide and envy is ignorance; • How to recognise the foolish face of praise; • How to learn self-trust; • That nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Full of wise advice from one of America’s greatest nineteenth-century thinkers, Self-Reliance continues to open our eyes to our potential and show us how to take control of our lives. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self-Reliance is not a substitute for the original. Its purpose is simply to illustrate the timeless nature of Emerson’s insights into human nature by bringing them to life in a contemporary context. Andrew Holmes’ brilliant reworking of Self Reliance is an entertaining and highly practical guide to one of the most influential self-help books of all time.