Self-Reliance

Self-Reliance is an 1841 essay written by American transcendentalist philosopher and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson. It contains a stirring call for each individual to avoid conformity and false consistency, and to follow their own instincts and ideas. It contains one of Emerson''s most famous quotations: A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosop...