Emerson Review

 "His variety of declarations tempts us to say that he contradicts himself, but even if we resist the temptation, we are still not sure where he finally stands. We can admit the force of his impeachment of consistency in "Self-Reliance" (p. 265), but may still wish that his assertions did not so frequently collide and perhaps qualify one another to the point of damaging all of them, leaving us suspended and uncertain" (Kateb). 
This quote basically explains the feeling that I get when reading Emerson's "Self-Reliance." He makes so many points that at times, he contradicts himself at times. Overall, though, he makes the point that a person needs to live life for his/herself instead of trying to rely on the explanation of others. If one tries to only listen to what others say, they will never get the full experience of what is happening in the world. You live for yourself instead of hearing stories. You should base most of your opinions on your own experience rather than the opinions of everyone else. 
In Emerson's essay, he says the following: "Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. Accept the place the divine providence has found for you, the society of your contemporaries, the connection of events. Great men have always done so, and confided themselves childlike to the genius of their age, betraying their perception that the absolutely trustworthy was seated at their heart, working through their hands, predominating in all their being. And we are now men, and must accept in the highest mind the same transcendent destiny; and not minors and invalids in a protected corner, not cowards fleeing before a revolution, but guides, redeemers, and benefactors, obeying the Almighty effort, and advancing on Chaos and the Dark." This is personally my favorite part of the essay, even though if comes early on. It probably makes the most sense to me. I am not religious, but I believe what he says here. He basically says that we need to accept ourselves no matter what everyone else thinks. I agree with most of the points written in the essay, and I think that this depicts Emerson's ideas quite well.
Our reading is mendicant and sycophantic. In history, our imagination plays us false. Kingdom and lordship, power and estate, are a gaudier vocabulary than private John and Edward in a small house and common day's work; but the things of life are the same to both; the sum total of both is the same. Why all this deference to Alfred, and Scanderbeg, and Gustavus? Suppose they were virtuous; did they wear out virtue? As great a stake depends on your private act to-day, as followed their public and renowned steps. When private men shall act with original views, the lustre will be transferred from the actions of kings to those of gentlemen." -Emerson. I feel that this quote is very eloquently  written. It shows exactly what the point of the essay is, while also creating an emotional feeling for the reader. 

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Self-Reliance and the Life of the Mind." In Emerson's Transcendental Etudes. Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. 2003. Quoted as "Self-Reliance and the Life of the Mind" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Updated Edition, Bloom's Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.