Journal #8

9. What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not been discovered.

In this aphorism Emerson is trying to say that all things have a purpose and meaning in life. He is saying that even bad or unpleasant things could have something good inside of it. Personally I think that Emerson is right. Many famous movie and books are based on the idea of the villain turning good guy. Just like the plant the villain was just misunderstood and the good inside of them had not been discovered.

11. What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.

Emerson is trying to say that our past action and future actions are not as important as our present behavior and feelings. This goes back to is idea of living in the moment. We all make mistake and will make mistakes in the future, but Emerson is saying that we cannot let those mistake define us; we need to move on and keep on living a virtuous life. I agree with this aphorism. I think that being happy and pleasant in the present will serve and be better for people then if they worried about what their future might hold for them.

13. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.

Emerson is saying that life would be boring if we did nothing and just let life happen. He wants us to go out and do, act, and take on life so that we can experience the most life has to offer. Basically, Emerson is saying the more you put into life the more you get out of it. Again I agree with this aphorism. Life is not a spectating sport, we have to be constantly active and a part of it to get the most out of it.