Random thoughts about what I'm reading...

I've been reading some of Emerson's essays... and I'm really liking them. Like, almost enough to start quoting them to other people. Isn't that scary? I'll try not to (too much).
My favorite so far is his essay on Character. Wish I had some, sounds like a wondrous quality when you look at it like he does. It seems to be what makes common folk into heros and great people, like Washington and Napoleon (his examples not mine). (Okay, stupid thought to add but I once, a long, long time ago, thought Napoleon and Neapolitan were the same thing/person. Obviously not but there ya go. Did make me wonder why there was an ice cream named after a French dude...)
My favorite quote of Emerson's on success:

To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better,
whether by a healthy child, a garden patch,
or a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson