Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

"This is one of the ur-texts of New England liberalism. It is, in a sense, a 'where we come from' document. Reading it for the first time is much like meeting at last someone of whom one has heard endless stories from one's friends. Indeed, the recognition is so keen, it almost feels like cliches, the way Shakespeare does -- and in some cases has become; this is the 'where those ideas came from'. (Not necessarily in the ultimate sense, but in the sense of 'and this is the crater where that meteor of an idea struck this continent of a culture.')" -- siderea, 2007-12-16 (regarding "Self-Reliance", by Ralph Waldo Emerson)