To be great is to be misunderstood.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance (Essays: First Series, 1841)
To be great is to be misunderstood.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance (Essays: First Series, 1841)
What it means
Emerson lists Socrates, Galileo and Newton as people their own age got wrong. If you say something new, expect some people to misread it. Being misunderstood is not proof you are right, but it is no reason to go quiet.
The source
"To be great is to be misunderstood." Ralph Waldo Emerson said it in Self-Reliance (Essays: First Series, 1841). Written in English: Essays: First Series, 1841.
"To be great is to be misunderstood."Original English (Essays: First Series, 1841), Self-Reliance (Essays: First Series, 1841). Text read at gutenberg.org.
Who said it
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882). American essayist and lecturer who led the Transcendentalists. His lines here come from Nature, Self-Reliance and his Essays.
Questions
- What does "To be great is to be misunderstood." mean?
- Emerson lists Socrates, Galileo and Newton as people their own age got wrong. If you say something new, expect some people to misread it. Being misunderstood is not proof you are right, but it is no reason to go quiet.
- Who said "To be great is to be misunderstood."?
- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882). Source: Self-Reliance (Essays: First Series, 1841).
- What is the original wording?
- To be great is to be misunderstood (Original English (Essays: First Series, 1841)). Written in English: Essays: First Series, 1841.
- Is "To be great is to be misunderstood." on a shirt?
- Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.
Cite this line
"To be great is to be misunderstood." (Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance (Essays: First Series, 1841), trans. Original English (Essays: First Series, 1841)). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/to-be-great-is-to-be-misunderstood
Filed under Quotes about character.
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More from Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Trust yourself. Every heart vibrates to that iron string.Self-Reliance (Essays: First Series, 1841)
- Whoever would be a man must be a nonconformist.Self-Reliance (Essays: First Series, 1841)
- Nothing is sacred but the integrity of your own mind.Self-Reliance (Essays: First Series, 1841)
- Insist on yourself. Never imitate.Self-Reliance (Essays: First Series, 1841)
- Envy is ignorance. Imitation is suicide.Self-Reliance (Essays: First Series, 1841)
- Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.Self-Reliance (Essays: First Series, 1841)