John's Reviews > Self-Reliance and Other Essays

A difficult book to review. Six of Emerson’s best essays along with his controversial Divinity School Address. History, Self-reliance, Friendship, The Over-Soul, The Poet and Experience are the topics of the essays written around 1841.

The recurrent theme throughout the essays is think for your self. The need for each individual to avoid conformity and false consistency, and follow his own instinct. The idea of believing in one's self and one's worth is another key theme.

It is the source of one of Emerson's most famous quotations: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines." He also states you should do what you think right and not follow the herd instinct. He advocates reflection through solitude and is also critical of institutional religion.

Emerson argues to question everything and is very skeptical of charities or communal based support. His argument is that self reliance on one self does not cover less fortunate people, disabled, blind or not having been born in privileged position. In some ways he is a cruel and heartless commentator and on the the other side he talks sense and there are some great quotes. My favorite was from Napoleon ‘What is history but a fable agreed upon’.

Overall a thought provoking book of its time and with relevance today. Trust thyself would be his mantra and to finish with a quote from him. ‘’To believe in your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, - that is genius." This I think encapsulates what is main message is in that self-reliance means to on one's own thoughts and ideas not others.

One person I will be reading more of is Emanuel Swedenborg who sounds fascinating.