Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes

A man without passion is only a latent force, only a possibility, like a stone waiting for the blow from the iron to give forth sparks.

It can't be bought. It can't be taught. It must be caught.

Inspiration comes from the heart. The letter ‘I’ is the heart of F”I”RST… (F Inspiration R S T).

He can't even be at a casual read and not be creating the whole thing in his mind. I remember feeling very awed about how much he still seems to be so in love with it, and so dedicated to making everything really real and really spontaneous.

For passion, be it observed, brings insight with it; it can give a sort of intelligence to simpletons, fools, and idiots, especially during youth.

I start each book when it's ready and never before.

I write songs, and I sing them. I never formulated a plan; I can't tell anyone else how to do this. But it feels right, so I just kind of enjoy it and get on with it.

If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing.

Making music is still what keeps a fire going on in me.

I don't have any formula. I just work with my heart, putting in a lot of hard work.

Having fun is fantastic, and I never want to lose a sense of that - and also, I think, you have to have that to put into your work, or else it's going to feel stiff.

As a child I prayed that my calling be revealed - but not with expectation and not with a destination. I became an artist because I didn't know what to do and I thought it was really fun to make things.

I really don't work to a plan, but I just do what interests me and what I like to do.

We don't always know what we're doing. We often just get excited, put something down, and say, 'Oh, neat'.

Sentiment inspires me no less than reason.

If one has fear, there can be no initiative in the creative sense of the word. To have initiative in this sense is to do something original - to do it spontaneously, naturally, without being guided, forced, controlled. It is to do something which you love to do.

Whether it's a poem I'm working on or a picture I've snapped, it all has to do with the curiosity I feel without thinking about it.

You can't ever create defensively. You just have to create the next thing that really speaks to you.

I think, like all big things, you don't know they're going to be a big thing when you start. You just kind of, like, play because it's fun, and it's interesting, and then it turns out to be way more important than you expected.

Passion is not something you have to talk about. People feel it.

I love to create and play, I can't stop, hahaha!

I don't think you pick your projects; you just fall in love with it, and it just becomes something you have to do.

I just try to write literally what I love. That's usually the barometer that I use. As trite as it sounds, I'm like, 'what would I want to see? What would I be excited about?'

Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is more people who have come alive

You can't manufacture passion or "motivate" people to feel passionate. You can only discover what ignites your passion and the passions of those around you.