Emerson on "Self-Reliance"

It is amazing to me how many things I can find to do when I am procrastinating doing something I don't want to do!!!

Today I thought about the literature class I had in college on Ralph Waldo Emerson and how much I liked it, so I spent a good part of my day reading the lines I had underlined. I must have been smarter than I thought I was--some of them are quite provocative!

Here is something I had marked as V.G.:

"A political victory, a rise of rents, the recovery of our sick or the return of your absent friend, or some other favorable event raises your spirits, and you think good days are preparing for you. Do not believe it. Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles."

That is from his discourse on "Self-Reliance" written in 1841. I must have really liked that one, I have a lot underlined.

I remember Del, who I dated in college, and we were both to write down the things we didn't like about each other (a very dangerous assignment). As I recall I had quite a few on my list but he had only one thing. TOO D------ INDEPENDENT!

I guess that is a good thing since I have been alone for so much of my life.