Transcendentalism

Henry David Thoreau

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Transcendentalism is  a religious movement where people had faith that they could be the best person they are if they stay true to themselves. The society was based on the goodness of people.


  Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American transcendentalist poet and philosopher. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Nobody can bring you peace, but yourself." Ralph was saying that you can only feel at peace or you can only be peaceful if you're own body and mind set is to be at peace. He was also saying that it is your choice to be at peace or not, its not anyone else's decision. Another quote by Ralph Emerson was, "The only way to have a friend is to be one." He was saying that people cannot ask for friends or expect someone to be their friend if they can't treat another person the same way.

Henry David Thoreau was also an American transcendentalist poet and philosopher. Henry Thoreau once said, "Its not what you look at that matters, its what you see."Henry was saying that anyone could look at an object, but it is the way you perceive it, meaning that anyone could look at something, but it is the way you decide to interpret it. He was also saying that people could be looking at the same thing and could have completely different feelings and meanings toward it. Another quote by Henry Thoreau was, "Things do not change we change." Henry was saying that nothing changes. Everything stays the same until you change yourself. Once you change yourself your mind and thoughts begin to change, not the thing itself.