Q0261
“To be great is to be misunderstood.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson (Self-Reliance)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Self-Reliance. Theme: self.
English
To be great is to be misunderstood.
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.
How to read this passage
To ask about the self is to ask what persists through experience, what can be known from the first-person point of view, and how character is formed. Some traditions treat the self as a substantial soul; others as a stream of experience, a social role, or a practical center of agency. This passage enters that discussion through self, understanding.
Concepts in this quote
- Self
- Philosophy quotes about self explore identity, responsibility, and the examined life—from Socrates’ unexamined life to modern phenomenology and existential authenticity.
- Understanding
- Understanding appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat understanding as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Ralph Waldo Emerson. (n.d.). To be great is to be misunderstood. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0261
MLA: Ralph Waldo Emerson. “To be great is to be misunderstood..” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0261.
Chicago: Ralph Waldo Emerson. “To be great is to be misunderstood..” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0261.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “To be great is to be misunderstood.”?
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 self?
To ask about the self is to ask what persists through experience, what can be known from the first-person point of view, and how character is formed. Some traditions treat the self as a substantial soul; others as a stream of experience, a social role, or a practical center of agency. This passage enters that discussion through self, understanding.