Self Reliance

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorCollege, Undergraduate February 2002

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In Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay Self Reliance the quote " There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him, but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till,"� can best be described through what it means to the reader and how it applies to him in life.

To me, Emerson's quote is one of great power and truth. In my opinion Emerson's quote means that there comes a time in every persons life when he must stop talking about change in his actions but rather show change through his actions. It is a time for a person to step out of the shadow of his peers and create his own identity whether it is for better or worse.

Each individual has his own talents that can be used for good, but he must recognize what those talents are and learn to nourish them so that they are able to grow and develop into great advantages for that individual in the future. This is of great truth and power and applies to everyone in some way, shape, or form.

As stated above this quote not only applies to everyone, but especially to me in many ways If you were to ask my mom she would most certainly tell you I am very notorious for talking about change in many facets of my life. However, like many teens my age, my actions do not speak louder than my words. Each unique individual possesses a special talent that makes him different...