Q0111
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson (Self-Reliance)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Self-Reliance. Theme: courage.
English
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Self-Reliance and files it under Transcendentalism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) was the American Transcendentalist essayist and lecturer who urged self-reliance and unbroken relation to nature and the Over-Soul. A former Unitarian minister in Concord, he gathered the Dial circle and mentored younger writers including Thoreau.
Interpretation
Emerson is not praising inconsistency; he is attacking a particular motive for consistency. His target is the person who refuses to change because they fear appearing to have been wrong, which he calls a hobgoblin — a small fear governing a mind. The claim is that this motive is external, so the resulting consistency is a form of deference. What he wants instead is coherence of a different kind, supplied by present conviction rather than by past statements.
Why it matters
It separates two reasons for standing by something: that it is right, or that you once said it. Only the first is a reason.
Concepts in this quote
- Courage
- Courage is the virtue of facing fear without abandoning judgment—central to ethics from Aristotle to modern existential resolve.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Ralph Waldo Emerson. (n.d.). A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0111
MLA: Ralph Waldo Emerson. “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0111.
Chicago: Ralph Waldo Emerson. “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0111.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little…”?
The passage is attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance. The archive attributes this English wording to Self-Reliance and files it under Transcendentalism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Ralph Waldo Emerson mean by courage?
Philosophers ask whether courage is fearlessness or right action amid fear, and how it relates to recklessness, endurance, and moral courage in public life. This passage enters that discussion through courage.