Craig T. Owens

Just finished a nice book of poems by Ralph Waldo Emerson and I thought I’d share a few maxims with you—

• “To be great is to be misunderstood.”
• “Happy is the house that shelters a friend.”
• “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
• “A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere. Before him, I may think aloud.”
• “Beauty without grace is the hook without the bait.”
• “Life is not so short but there is time for courtesy.”
• “Beware when the great God lets loose a thinker on this planet. Then all things are at risk.”
• “No man thoroughly understands a truth until he has contended against it.”
• “In skating over thin ice, our safety is in our speed.”

If you haven’t read any poetry lately, I encourage you to give it a try. It sounds/reads differently, but the rhythm and pace sort of sings to your mind and heart as you read it. For Americans I recommend starting out with some American poets like Emerson or Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; for you Brits, try some Robert Browning.

Happy reading!