A man builds a fine house
â
A man builds a fine house;
and now he has a master,
and a task for life: he is to furnish,
watch, show it,
and keep it in repair,
the rest of his days.
â
Meaning
This quote means possessions can become burdens, turning what seemed like freedom or success into lifelong maintenance and servitude.
About Author
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, philosopher, and poet, known for his work on transcendentalism and individualism. His quotes often reflect self-reliance, wisdom, and introspection. Emerson inspires writers, thinkers, and students to embrace personal growth, independent thought, and the philosophical exploration of life and nature.
Related Quotes
â As we are, so we associate. The good, by affinity, seek the good; the vile, by affinity, the vile. Thus of their own volition, souls proceed into Heaven, into Hell. â
This quote means people are drawn toward companions who match their own nature, and their moral direction shapes the world they inhabit.
â Philosophically considered, the universe is composed of Nature and the Soul. Strictly speaking, therefore, all that is separate from us, all which Philosophy distinguishes as the 'Not Me,' that is, both nature and art, all other men and my own body, must be ranked under this name, Nature. â
This quote means everything outside the self, including art, nature, other people, and even the body, belongs to the realm of nature in contrast to the soul.
â Don't be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. â
This quote means you should not be paralyzed by excessive caution because life itself is a field of experiments.