Works

Self-Reliance

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Philosophy Atlas. "Self-Reliance." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://philosophy.interactiveatlas.org/works/self-reliance.

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Philosophy Atlas. (n.d.). Self-Reliance. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://philosophy.interactiveatlas.org/works/self-reliance

BibTeX

@misc{philosophyatlas-self-reliance,
  author = {Philosophy Atlas},
  title = {Self-Reliance},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://philosophy.interactiveatlas.org/works/self-reliance},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

Essay in Essays: First Series (1841) arguing that conformity is the enemy of growth and that a person's highest duty is to trust their own conviction. Its individualism has drawn sustained scholarly challenge (see the dissent recorded on Ralph Waldo Emerson).

Facts

Publication Yearthe subject's own account

1841 1

Original Languagethe subject's own account

English 1

Cross-Tradition Connections

Authored By

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Source Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays: First Series (1841)

In Branch

Ethics

Source Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Sources

1. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays: First Series (1841)

Self-Reliance

Quote, Self-Reliance

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

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Stanford University, Center for the Study of Language and InformationIn Branch: EthicsView the Source

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