Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes

Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes Character ArtArt is the path of the creator to his work. ChallengeAs long as a man stands in his own way, everything seems to be in his way. BeliefBelief consists in accepting the affirmations of the soul; unbelief in denying them. CharacterCharacter is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live as well to think. ArtClassic art was the art of necessity: modern romantic art bears the stamp of caprice and chance. CommitmentConcentration is the secret of strength in politics, in war, in trade, in short in all management of human affairs. AttitudeCoolness and absence of heat and haste indicate fine qualities. AdventureDo not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. CharacterEach man takes care that his neighbor shall not cheat him. But a day comes when he begins to care that he does not cheat his neighbor. Then all goes well - he has changed his market-cart into a chariot of the sun. ConfidenceEvery man has his own courage, and is betrayed because he seeks in himself the courage of other people. AmbitionHitch your wagon to a star. CharacterIf you would lift me up you must be on higher ground. CharacterIf you would not be known to do anything, never do it. ChallengeIt was high counsel that I once heard given to a young person: Always do what you are afraid to do. CharacterJudge of your natural character by what you do in your dreams. CharacterMake the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you. CharacterNo change of circumstances can repair a defect of character. AmbitionNo one can cheat you out of ultimate success but yourself. CalmnessNothing can bring you peace but yourself; nothing, but the triumph of principles. CalmnessPeace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding. BeliefSelf-trust is the essence of heroism. ConfidenceSelf-trust is the first secret of success. BirthdaySo much of our time is preparation, so much is routine, and so much retrospect, that the path of each mans genius contracts itself to a very few hours. AdventureThe invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common. ArtThe sower may mistake and sow his peas crookedly; the peas make no mistake, but come up and show his line. AttitudeThis time like all times is a very good one if we but know what to do with it AttitudeTo be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. BeliefTo believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in our private heart is for all men - that is genius. AttitudeTo different minds, the same world is a hell, and a heaven. AmbitionWe aim above the mark to hit the mark. AttitudeWhat lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. CharacterWhat you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say. ActionWhat you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say CommunicationWho you are is speaking so loudly that I cant hear what youre saying. CharacterWho you are speaks so loudly I cant hear what youre saying. AmbitionWithout ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it. CommitmentYou cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late. AttitudeYour own mind is a sacred enclosure into which nothing harmful can enter except by your permission.

A Brief History of Steamboats

A Brief History of Steamboats The era of the steamboat began in the late 1700s, thanks initially to the work of Scotsman James Watt. In 1769, Watt patented an improved version of the steam engine that helped usher in the Industrial Revolution and spurred  other inventors to explore how steam technology could be used to propel ships. Watts pioneering efforts would eventually revolutionize transportation. The First Steamboats John Fitch was the first to build a steamboat in the United States. His initial 45-foot craft successfully navigated the Delaware River on August 22, 1787. Fitch later built a larger vessel to carry passengers and freight between Philadelphia and Burlington, New Jersey. After a contentious battle with rival inventor James Rumsey over similar steamboat designs, Fitch was ultimately granted his first United States patent for a steamboat on August 26, 1791. He was not, however, awarded a monopoly, leaving the field open for Rumsey and other competitive inventors. Between 1785 and 1796, Fitch constructed four different steamboats that successfully plied rivers and lakes to demonstrate the feasibility of steam power for water locomotion. His models utilized various combinations of propulsive force, including ranked paddles (patterned after Indian war canoes), paddle wheels, and screw propellers. While his boats were mechanically successful, Fitch failed to pay sufficient attention to construction and operating costs. After losing investors to other inventors, he was unable to stay afloat financially.   Robert Fulton,  the Father of Steam Navigation   Before turning his talents to the steamboat, American inventor Robert Fulton had successfully built and operated a submarine in France but it was his talent for turning steamboats into a commercially viable mode of transportation that earned him the title of the father of steam navigation. Fulton was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on November 14, 1765. While his early education was limited, he displayed considerable artistic talent and inventiveness. At the age of 17, he moved to Philadelphia, where he established himself as a painter. Advised to go abroad due to ill health, in 1786, Fulton moved to London. Eventually, his lifelong interest in scientific and engineering developments, especially in the application of steam engines, supplanted his interest in art.   As he applied himself to his new vocation, Fulton secured English patents for machines with a wide variety of functions and applications. He also began to show a marked interested in the construction and efficiency of canal systems. By 1797, growing European conflicts led Fulton to begin work on weapons against piracy, including submarines, mines, and torpedoes. Soon after, Fulton moved to France, where he took up work on canal systems. In 1800, he built a successful diving boat which he named the Nautilus but there was not sufficient interest, either in France or England, to induce Fulton to pursue any further submarine design.   Fultons passion for steamboats remained undiminished, however. In 1802, he contracted with Robert Livingston to construct a steamboat for use on the Hudson River. Over the next four years, after building prototypes in Europe, Fulton returned to New York in 1806. Robert Fultons Milestones On August 17, 1807, the Clermont, Robert Fultons first American steamboat, left New York City for Albany, serving as the inaugural commercial steamboat service in the world. The ship traveled from New York City to Albany making history with a 150-mile trip that took 32 hours at an average speed of about five miles per hour. Four years later, Fulton and Livingston designed the New Orleans and put it into service as a passenger and freight boat with a route along the lower Mississippi River. By 1814, Fulton, together with Robert Livingston’s brother, Edward, was offering regular steamboat and freight service between New Orleans, Louisiana, and Natchez, Mississippi. Their boats traveled at rates of eight miles per hour downstream and three miles per hour upstream. Steamboats Rise Cant Compete with Rail In 1816, when inventor Henry Miller Shreve launched his steamboat, Washington, it could complete the voyage from New Orleans to Louisville, Kentucky in 25 days. But steamboat designs continued to improve, and by 1853, the New Orleans to Louisville trip took only four and a half days. Steamboats contributed greatly to the economy throughout the eastern part of the United States as a means of transporting agricultural and industrial supplies. Between 1814 and 1834, New Orleans steamboat arrivals increased from 20 to 1,200 each year. These boats transported passengers, as well as cargoes of cotton, sugar, and other goods. Steam propulsion and railroads developed separately but it was not until railroads adopted steam technology that rail truly began to flourish. Rail transport was faster and not as hampered by weather conditions as water transport, nor was it dependent on the geographical constraints of predetermined waterways. By the 1870s, railroads- which could travel not only north and south but east, west, and points in between- had begun to supplant steamboats as the major transporter of both goods and passengers in the United States.