With each divine impulse the mind rends the thin rinds of the visible… — Ralph Waldo Emerson · Smartyfair

With each divine impulse the mind rends the thin rinds of the visible and finite, and comes out into eternity, and inspires and expires its air.

Ralph Waldo Emerson1803–1882 · writer · 1800s USARalph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist and poet who encouraged people to trust their own minds and think for themselves.207 quotes

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How sure this is: 95% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up: Essays: First Series (1841); Exact wording and attribution checked. Transcendentalist reflections on history, spiritual experience, and the present.
Work: Essays: First Series (1841)
Sources checked: gutenberg.orgChecked using manual, 21 October 2026Essays: First Series (1841); Exact wording and attribution checked. Transcendentalist reflections on history, spiritual experience, and the present.

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