Self-Reliance Self-Reliance "Self-Reliance" is an 1841 essay written by American transcendentalist philosopher and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson. It contains the most thorough statement of one of Emerson's recurrent themes: the need for each individual to avoid conformity and false consistency, and follow their own instincts and ideas. It is the source of one of Emerson's most famous quotations: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines." This essay is an analysis into the nature of the “aboriginal self on which a universal reliance may be grounded.” The first hint of the philosophy
William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections Marquette's acquisition of the manuscripts for "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit", among others, amounting to more than 11,000 pages. During the same period Ready also secured the personal papers of social activist Dorothy Day. As University Librarian at McMaster played an instrumental role in securing numerous high-profile collections, most notably the archives of philosopher and political activist Bertrand Russell. Ready died in Victoria, British Columbia on September 12, 1981, two years after retiring from McMaster. His autobiography, "Files on Parade", was published posthumously in 1982. The holdings of the Division of Archives and Research Collections reflect a