Q0263
“Every sweet has its sour; every evil its good.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson (Compensation)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Compensation. Theme: order.
English
Every sweet has its sour; every evil its good.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Compensation 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's essay Compensation argues that every act carries its own consequence built into it, so nothing is gained without a corresponding loss. The claim is not that suffering is repaid later but that the two are the same event seen from different sides. This removes the expectation of external reward and with it the ground for resentment. His target is the habit of wanting the benefit without the cost that produced it.
Why it matters
It is a discipline for decisions: ask what each option costs in a currency you actually care about, since on this account the cost is unavoidable rather than negotiable.
Concepts in this quote
- Order
- Order names cosmos, ritual, law, and the patterned stability that makes shared life possible—or oppressive.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Ralph Waldo Emerson. (n.d.). Every sweet has its sour; every evil its good. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0263
MLA: Ralph Waldo Emerson. “Every sweet has its sour; every evil its….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0263.
Chicago: Ralph Waldo Emerson. “Every sweet has its sour; every evil its….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0263.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Every sweet has its sour; every evil its…”?
The passage is attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, Compensation. The archive attributes this English wording to Compensation 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 order?
Philosophers ask whether order is discovered in nature, imposed by rulers, or cultivated through custom. Chaos and creativity stand as its counterparts. This passage enters that discussion through order.