Ralph Waldo Emerson: Sleep, Wake Up Rich
on Monday, October 30, 2017Ralph Waldo Emerson Money Quote saying some are visionary about what might happen in the market and prepare things to take that course, then find their reward when their vision is realized. Ralph Waldo Emerson said:
“One man has stronger arms, or longer legs; another sees by the course of streams, and growth of markets, where land will be wanted, makes a clearing to the river, goes to sleep, wakes up rich” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
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In this quote, Ralph Waldo Emerson seems to be contrasting two types of paths to wealth:
- Relying on inherent physical attributes like “stronger arms” or “longer legs” to accumulate riches through manual labor or skills requiring strength/agility.
- Using foresight and analysis of economic/environmental trends to amass wealth in a low-effort manner.
By stating one man gets rich through physically advantageous traits while another “sees by the course of streams, and growth of markets, where land will be wanted, makes a clearing to the river, goes to sleep, wakes up rich”, Emerson portrays the latter approach as almost effortless wealth obtained through shrewd planning and prediction of future conditions.
Overall, the quote conveys Emerson’s view that while brawn can generate money, applying intellectual faculties to envision changing needs and position oneself accordingly is an even more effective, lower-effort strategy for acquiring riches over time according to natural economic developments.