Self Reliance by R.W. Emerson

The American classic on non conformity and the power of the individual

"At times the whole world seems to be in conspiracy to importune you with emphatic trifles. Friend, client, child, sickness, fear, want, charity, all knock at once at thy closet door, and say, -- 'Come out unto us.' But keep thy state; come not into their confusion. The power men possess to annoy me, I give them by a weak curiosity. No man can come near me but through my act. "

Widely considered as the head of the Trascendentalist movement, but, above all labels, an original thinker and outstanding human being, Emerson's ideas on the virtues of individualism and the relations person-collective shine at their best in this well known essay.

Emerson's prose, conceived as a tool to illustrate a point, has remained actual and easy to read, and his ideas remain audacious, provocative and without fail as sensible and enlightening as in the time they were first published.

The book discusses matters like building one's character, the dangers of sticking too much to consistency ("the hobgoblin of little minds", as he famously defined), and the existence of a Truth that is different for each person (as opposed to a monolithic, single-version "Truth"); a Truth to which each person is due their full loyalty.

One of those texts that, despite its brevity, never fails to leave you more energized and inspired after reading.

For comfort of reading, the original text has been divided in this app into 8 different menu entries.