The Quotation IndexThe trusted reference for quotations and the sources behind them
Tag Tag Independent thought
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.
Ralph Waldo Emerson Self-Reliance · 1841

Quotes

“Intellectual individualism and scientific eras emerged simultaneously in history and have remained inseparable ever since.”

Albert Einstein · Ideas and Opinions , 1954 · Primary source

“Devotion to the truth is the hallmark of morality; there is no greater, nobler, more heroic form of devotion than the act of a man who assumes the responsibility of thinking.”

Ayn Rand · Atlas Shrugged, 1957 · Primary source

“To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men—that is genius.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · Self-Reliance, 1841 · Primary source

“Beware when the great God lets loose a thinker on this planet. Then all things are at risk.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · Circles, 1841 · Primary source

“What is the hardest task in the world? To think.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · Intellect, 1841 · Primary source

Works

Ralph Waldo Emerson · 1841
Intellect

An examination of thought, perception and intuition, arguing that genuine understanding depends on intellectual openness rather than rigid systems or inherited authority.

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Ralph Waldo Emerson · 1870
Books

An examination of reading and literary judgement, arguing for selective attention to enduring books, independent thought and active engagement with authors.

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Related Tags

Self-reliance 49 Transcendentalism 32 Perception 20 Truth 16 Nonconformity 14 Reading 14 Individualism 10 Consistency 10 Reflection 10 Books 10 Originality 9 Social change 8 Reasoning 8 Moral responsibility 7 Self-trust 7 Intuition 7 Intellectual freedom 5 Reason 5 Authority 4 Intellectual flexibility 4 Genius 4 Intellect 4 Intellectual integrity 2 Thinking 2 Intellectual effort 2 Literary judgement 2 Scientific progress 1 Intellectual disruption 1 Questioning assumptions 1 Classics 1