Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882) American Essayist, Philosopher, Poet

“Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

My enthusiasm for Emerson is tempered by this post I read the other day, Giving Emerson the Boot. "Other than the odd English major, virtually every student encountering Emerson for the first time (there's almost never a second) gains very little from the exercise other than a rough appreciation for what it must be like to sit in the company of a boorish deity." Geez, that's a little severe.