Character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live as well as think.
Interpretation
Character and moral strength are more important than merely having intelligence.
In this quote, Ralph Waldo Emerson emphasizes that true greatness lies in one's character, which shapes how we live and act, rather than just our intellectual capabilities. A person of strong character possesses the ability to think deeply and live a life of integrity, demonstrating that moral values are foundational to a fulfilling existence.
In practice
In a motivational speech about leadership, one might cite this quote to highlight the importance of integrity.
It is plain that there is no separate essence called courage, no cup or cell in the brain, no vessel in the heart containing drops or atoms that make or give this virtue; but it is the right or healthy state of every man, when he is free to do that which is constitutional to him to do.
Few people have any next, they live from hand to mouth without a plan, and are always at the end of their line.
Men cease to interest us when we find their limitations
Tis the good reader that makes the good book; a good head cannot read amiss: in every book he finds passages which seem confidences or asides hidden from all else and unmistakeably meant for his ear.
The world belongs to the energetic.
Hast thou named all the birds without a gun?
Trust who and what you are, and the universe will support you in miraculous ways.
A sure way of retaining the grace of heaven is to disregard outward appearances, and diligently to cultivate such things as foster amendment of life and fervour of soul, rather than to cultivate those qualities that seem most popular.
You are not a helpless victim of your own thoughts, but rather a master of your own mind.
The young man who has not wept is a savage, and the older man who will not laugh is a fool.
Until you are willing to be confused about what you already know, what you know will never grow bigger, better, or more useful.
Ignorance of one's misfortunes is clear gain.
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