Self Reliance

Adapted for the Contemporary Reader

Self Reliance is an essay written in 1841 by Ralph Waldo Emerson. It contains the most thorough statement of one of Emerson's recurrent themes: the need for each individual to avoid conformity and false consistency, and follow his own instincts and ideas. This essay is an analysis into the nature of the aboriginal self on which a universal reliance may be grounded. Emerson emphasises the importance of individualism and its effect on an individual's satisfaction in life. He stresses that anyone is capable of achieving happiness simply if they change their mindset. Emerson focuses on seemingly insignificant details explaining how life is "learning and forgetting and learning again". This book has been carefully adapted into modern English to allow for easy listening.

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