Topic: Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson: 15 quotes on his birthday

Emerson would be 209 years old on May 25th. Here are 15 of his more memorable aphorisms.

This primary season, peel off political labels

It's primary season, so America is into political labels. Which is the real conservative, Romney or Santorum? Is Obama a European socialist? The more important question may be, 'What are you?' Surprisingly, the answer is probably 'all of the above.'

The Lives of Margaret Fuller

Margaret Fuller, problem child of American transcendentalism, gets fresh treatment from Pulitzer Prize-winner John Matteson.

Is America still the home of the brave?

Collectively, America seems to have become a people addicted to fear, whether it's about the economy, the weather, or children on the way to school. Once again, the nation needs to remember that 'the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.'

Reader recommendation: Hawthorne, A Life

Monitor readers share their favorite book picks.

What conservatives ignore in Adam Smith's message is killing our economy

In the name of capitalist hero Adam Smith, Americans are told to shop 'til they drop to stimulate our economy. But Smith actually condemned vanity-driven consumption. Are we building our economic recovery on the sand?

Why I won't miss Oprah after her last show

'The Oprah Winfrey Show' ends May 25 but others who dispense wisdom will fill that American demand for self-help advice. Oprah had her turn, and knew when to quit.

Summer camp for book lovers

Great Books Summer Camp introduces young book lovers to literature they would not typically encounter in the classroom.

Casino gambling in Massachusetts: the dice heard 'round the world

Massachusetts should reject this false elixir for revenue.

On Valentine's Day: You've been friended

Facebook and other social media are increasingly the way we form communities and communicate. Friending is fine, though it's like a second-grade valentine.

Soul of the Age

Shakespeare was a typical man of his age – except for the ways in which he was utterly unique.

Letters to the Editor

Readers write about what America can learn from Finland.

A Tolerable Anarchy

A history of what it means to be free in America.

A telltale Poe-pourri

It’s the bicentennial of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe, creator of the detective yarn. Where better than the city of idiosyncrasy – Baltimore – to celebrate?

Promised Land

Works that reflect America's aims and desires.

Patience and Fortitude

A grand, rambling, serendipitous treasure-house of material about books and the people who have loved them.

The heroic milkweed

This common plant helped keep soldiers afloat and aloft in World War II.

USA

The secret to success: Fail a little.

Success is more than winning or achieving. Look at Thoreau's life.

Keeping up with the Jameses

A 'House of Wits' that dazzled even as it disappointed.

China's eccentric champion

Joseph Needham put Chinese science on the world map.

China's eccentric champion

Joseph Needham put Chinese science on the world map.