Self-RelianceandOtherEssaysCatalogI.HistoryThereisnogreatandnosmallTotheSoulthatmakethall:Andwhereitcometh,allthingsare;Anditcometheverywhere.Iamownerofthesphere,Ofthesevenstarsandthesolaryear,OfCaesar'shand,andPlato'sbrain,OfLordChrist'sheart,andShakspeare'sstrain.ESSAYIHistoryThereisonemindcommontoallindividualmen.Everymanisaninlettothesameandtoallofthesame.Hethatisonceadmittedtotherightofreasonismadeafreemanofthewholeestate.WhatPlatohasthought,hemaythink;whatasainthasfelt,hemayfeel;whatatanytimehasbe-fallenanyman,hecanunderstand.Whohathaccesstothisuniversalmindisapartytoallthatisorcanbedone,forthisistheonlyandsovereignagent.Oftheworksofthismindhistoryistherecord.Itsgeniusisillustratedbytheentireseriesofdays.Manisexplicablebynothinglessthanallhishistory.Withouthurry,withoutrest,thehumanspiritgoesforthfromthebeginningtoembodyeveryfaculty,everythought,everyemotion,whichbelongstoitinappropriateevents.Butthethoughtisalwayspriortothefact;allthefactsofhistorypreexistinthemindaslaws.Eachlawinturnismadebycircumstancespredominant,andthelimitsofnaturegivepowertobutoneatatime.Amanisthewholeencyclopaediaoffacts.Thecreationofathousandforestsisinoneacorn,andEgypt,Greece,Rome,Gaul,Britain,America,liefoldedalreadyinthefirstman.Epochafterepoch,camp,kingdom,empire,republic,democracy,aremerelytheapplicationofhismanifoldspirittothemanifoldworld.Thishumanmindwrotehistory,andthismustreadit.TheSphinxmustsolveherownriddle.Ifthewholeofhistoryisinoneman,itisalltobeexplainedfromindividualexperience.Thereisarelationbetweenthehoursofourlifeandthecenturiesoftime.AstheairIbreatheisdrawnfromthegreatrepositoriesofnature,asthelightonmybookisyieldedbyastarahundredmillionsofmilesdistant,asthepoiseofmybodydependsontheequilibriumofcentrifugalandcentripetalforces,sothehoursshouldbeinstructedbytheages,andtheagesexplainedbythehours.Oftheuniversalmindeachindividualmanisonemoreincarnation.Allitspropertiesconsistinhim.Eachnewfactinhisprivateexperienceflashesalightonwhatgreatbodiesofmenhavedone,andthecrisesofhisliferefertonationalcrises.Everyrevolutionwasfirstathoughtinoneman'smind,andwhenthesamethoughtoccurstoanotherman,itisthekeytothatera.Everyreformwasonceaprivateopinion,andwhenitshallbeaprivateopinionagain,itwillsolvetheproblemoftheage.Thefactnarratedmustcorrespondtosomethinginmetobecredibleorintelligible.WeaswereadmustbecomeGreeks,Romans,Turks,priestandking,martyrandexecutioner,mustfastentheseimagestosomerealityinoursecretexperience,orweshalllearnnothingrightly.WhatbefellAsdrubalorCaesarBorgiaisasmuchanillustrationofthemind'spowersanddepravationsaswhathasbefallenus.Eachnewlawandpoliticalmovementhasmeaningforyou.Standbeforeeachofitstabletsandsay,`UnderthismaskdidmyProteusnaturehideitself.'Thisremediesthedefectofourtoogreatnearnesstoourselves.Thisthrowsouractionsintoperspective:andascrabs,goats,scorpions,thebalance,andthewaterpotlosetheirmeannesswhenhungassignsinthezodiac,soIcanseemyownviceswithoutheatinthedistantpersonsofSolomon,Alcibiades,andCatiline.Itistheuniversalnaturewhichgivesworthtoparticularmenandthings.Humanlifeascontainingthisismysteriousandinviolable,andwehedgeitroundwithpenaltiesandlaws.Alllawsderivehencetheirultimatereason;allexpressmoreorlessdistinctlysomecommandofthissupreme,illimitableessence.Propertyalsoholdsofthesoul,coversgreatspiritualfacts,andinstinctivelyweatfirstholdtoitwithswordsandl...