The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
RE Ralph Waldo EmersonEssayist & poet · 1803–1882What this quote means
Circumstances, past and future, matter less than the resources you carry within. The line points attention inward, to character and will, as the truest ground to stand on.
Context
American essayist and leader of Transcendentalism, championing self-reliance and the quiet authority of the individual.
This line is among the quotes by Ralph Waldo Emerson that readers return to on wisdom — a small, portable reminder to carry into the morning.
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