"He cannot yet credit
that one may have impressive experience, and yet may not know how to put his private fact
into literature; and perhaps the discovery that wisdom has other tongues and ministers
than we, that though we should hold our peace, the truth would not the less be spoken,
might check injuriously the flames of our zeal. A man can only speak, so long as he does
not feel his speech to be partial and inadequate. It is partial, but he does not see it to
be so, whilst he utters it. As soon as he is released from the instinctive and particular,
and sees its partiality, he shuts his mouth in disgust. For, no man can write anything,
who does not think that what he writes is for the time the history of the world; or do
anything well, who does not esteem his work to be of importance. My work may be of none,
but I must not think it of none, or I shall not do it with impunity."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Essays: Second Series, Nature"
No comments:
Post a Comment