Paragraphs 1-8 Summary

"Ne te quaesiveris extra" is Latin for "do not look outside yourself." This is the first line of Emerson's essay "Self Reliance." It is a summation of the entire essay, the message that a person should look to him/herself for inspiration, judgment and validation of his or her own thoughts and ideas. Emerson expands upon this saying by offering logical proof and examples to demonstrate why he believes it is best to be self-reliant.

In paragraph one, Emerson urges the reader to be bold and unafraid to voice his inner thoughts to the world at large. Emerson cites Moses, Plato and Milton as examples of men who used non-traditional thinking for their time and were unafraid to voice their own original thoughts and ideas. Emerson suggests that it takes practice for a man to become aware of his thinking and...