Perfectionism, as defined in the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, is the "quality or state of being saintly and perfect as a freedom from fault or defect, as well as an exemplification of supreme excellence and an unsurpassable degree of accuracy. There are many times in a person's life when they must gain perfection in order to be complete. Ralph Waldo Emerson explains his perfection of soul in his famous essay "Self-Reliance". Emerson was born in 1803 in …showed first 75 words of 1220 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1220 total…given something is taken. Society acquires new arts and loses old instincts".(199) I find Emerson to be one of the most fascinating, influential and intellectual people that I know. Yet, this contradicts what he is trying to say. Look to yourself for the answers, not someone else. How can someone be influential and try to have people believe in themselves. Ralph Waldo Emerson perfects his soul through the knowledge and understanding of his own self-reliance.