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.

Read summary·Explore 3 quotes
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.

Read summary·Explore 5 quotes

Related Tags

Intellectual freedom 5 Individualism 10 Scientific progress 1 Authority 4 Truth 16 Moral responsibility 7 Reason 5 Intellectual integrity 1 Consistency 9 Nonconformity 14 Self-reliance 48 Intellectual flexibility 3 Self-trust 7 Genius 4 Originality 9 Intellectual disruption 1 Questioning assumptions 1 Social change 8 Thinking 2 Reasoning 7 Intellectual effort 1 Reflection 10 Intellect 4 Intuition 7 Perception 20 Transcendentalism 32 Reading 14 Books 10 Literary judgement 2 Classics 1