Prospects - Emerson

“But the best read naturalist who lends an entire and devout attention to truth, will see that there remains much to learn of his relation to the world, and that it is not to be learned by any addition or subtraction or other comparison of known quantities, but is arrived at by untaught sallies of the spirit, by a continual self-recovery, and by entire humility.”


So in the last chapter, Prospects, Emerson commences with reflections on nature. I really like this part (of the first paragraph) because Emerson pinpoints what makes a great naturalist. He says that “the best read” naturalists is someone who will devout their attention to truth and try to learn as much as they can about the world and that person's relation to it. Emerson also says that learning your relation to world “arrives”. You can’t learn your relationship to the world by your known qualities, but rather its by unassuming nature and humbleness. I think that’s a very honest assessment, and it’s true. Nothing ever comes straight to you, it happens when you least expect it.