I'm not a man exquisitely made

Now and then a man exquisitely made can live alone, and must; but coop up most men and you undo them.  "The king lived and ate in his hall with men, and understood men," said Selden.  When a young barrister said to the late Mr Mason, "I keep my chamber to read law,"---"Read law!" replied the veteran, "'t is in the court-room you must read law."  Nor is the rule otherwise for literature.  If you would learn to write, 't is in the street you must learn it.  Both for the vehicle and for the aims of fine arts you must frequent the public square.  The people, and not the college, is the writer's home.

---from "Society and Solitude" by Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

Comments

[Samuel]

Reading all these quotes pains me as I lost my notebook which was full of Emerson quotes. I was 17 when I first read Emerson in my Uncle's home and I had to cajole, plead, beg and indulge in a bit of emotional blackmail to get his 'Essays' book when I left India to come here. The three things I took care to pack was The Bible, my notebook with the quotes and Emerson's Essays.

The sad part is I lost both the book and the notebook while moving inside America. I cannot keep any kind of quote in mind, be it from the Bible or any book, and I envy you for being able to remember al l this.

Love your blog and reading your Emerson posts have made me open a new notebook to start again.

Thanks

[grishaxxx]

Not very exquisite here, either. Got my ass into the public square today as quickly and for as long as I could (I'd missed two weeks' opportunity from sheer fatigue), and there is nothing so tonic. Guarding and managing your own coop may be your job, but to live and eat with other men - even for a few hours - must remind you that other people are moving house, mourning parents, changing jobs, nursing sick pets, sustaining injuries and smiling. You (and your wards) benefit from that direct knowledge; you are not as alone as you might have thought.

[Lance]

Samuel,

Well, a good memory isn't my secret. I keep a notebook too. Notebooks. I have a special one just for quotes. And one of my prize possessions is my grandfather's copy of Emerson's essays, which he received as a gift when he graduated from 8th grade. So I can imagine how you must feel about the loss of your book and notebook. I'm glad I helped inspire you to start a new notebook.

Here's a link that you'll like. It gives you a new quote from Emerson everytime you visit.

http://www.pbat.com/rwe/

Grish, Damn straight.

[Samuel]

Thanks a lot.