When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers.

Ralph Waldo Emerson
About This Quote

The idea that it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog, has been around for centuries. This is a recurring theme in literature and history. It’s a way of illustrating how we should fight against those who seek to harm us and conquer those who wish to control us. The hero must take the biggest and meanest skinhead by the beard and pull him off his feet and throw him far away, so he won’t choke anymore or take out his rage on those who are weaker than him.

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More Quotes By Ralph Waldo Emerson
  1. Love, and you shall be loved.

  2. He who is in love is wise and is becoming wiser, sees newly every time he looks at the object beloved, drawing from it with his eyes and his mind those virtues which it possesses.

  3. The Artist always has the masters in his eyes.

  4. Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

  5. It is not the length of life, but the depth.

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