Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo EmersonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Context & Why I read this book
Book no. 11 in my "year of Ratio & Will".
What is the book about as a whole?
This is a book about integrity relying on your authentic inner self as the only true path in life.
The book's structure
This book is based on an essay and therefore is rather short and has no chapters.
One lesson
Right away in the introduction, Emerson puts forth the importance of not envying others for their achievements and especially not imitating them, as the latter equals suicide of the true self. This - in my opinion - is one of the most basic and important concepts a person can ever understand. Yet basic is not the same as easy and I know that after many years I am surly still working on it.
Reading Recommendation / Who should read this?
Certainly not an easy read. But definitely a profound one. I have to defer my final judgment until I can read this more analytically since I barely understood anything on this first readthrough.
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