Ralph Waldo Emerson believed in one idea above all others: trust yourself. Before he became one of America's most famous writers, Emerson was a minister in a church. But he left because he wanted to think for himself. He died on April 27, 1882, leaving behind essays that still influence readers today. His most famous essay is called Self-Reliance. In it, Emerson argues that every person has a voice inside them that knows what is right. He wrote that copying others is a mistake because it means ignoring your own unique thoughts. Emerson also loved nature deeply. His essay called Nature describes walking in the woods and feeling connected to something larger than himself. He believed that spending time outside could help people think more clearly and feel more peaceful. Emerson was part of a group called the Transcendentalists. They believed that truth comes from personal experience and nature, not just from books and churches. His friend Henry David Thoreau was so inspired by Emerson that he went to live alone in the woods. He wrote about it in Walden.