Ralph Waldo Emerson: Transcendentalist And Poet

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an incredible essayist and poet who helped to lead the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He is known for many of his commendable works. He is known for saying “unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow” (Emerson). This quote, to me, has a multitude of meanings, one of which is that Emerson is saying that you have to expand your abilities if you want to improve,
When Emerson said “unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow” (Emerson), he may have meant a wide variety of things, but I believe he was trying to say that if you don’t challenge yourself, you can’t become a better person. You have to go beyond what you already know to get better. Do something
It is that if you don’t do anything more than what you already are capable of, it is impossible to get better. We have to dive down deeper into the quote to find it’s true meaning. When you find the definition of “master,” it reads “an artist, performer, or player of consummate skill” (Merriam-Webster). It can also mean that you are in control, or to overcome. Likewise, “grow” can mean two different things, with one definition being to undergo natural development by increasing in size, and to get better at something or to increase your skills.
Now, with these definitions in mind, we can see that this quote has many different meanings. One is that Emerson is saying that in order to get better at something, you must accomplish the ‘next level.’ You have to push yourself to want to get better. “Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow” (Emerson), could also be interpreted with the second definition of master, saying that if you only stay where you are comfortable and in control, you will never experience new things and grow as a person. You have to branch out and try new