Passage (Ralph Waldo Emerson, *Self-Reliance*, 1841): "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." Which of the following can be **most strongly inferred** about Emerson's view of *self-reliance*?
AIt requires withdrawal from one's society and time.
BIt is incompatible with religious belief.
CIt is best understood as trust in an inner principle that is also the genius of one's age — not as isolated self-assertion.
DIt can only be practised by men with great natural talent.
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. It is best understood as trust in an inner principle that is also the genius of one's age — not as isolated self-assertion.
Emerson's paragraph yokes two ideas: *the absolutely trustworthy was seated at their heart* (inner) and *the genius of their age* (the historical current). Great men trust the **same** principle from both sides — inner and outer.
So self-reliance for Emerson is **not** isolated rebellion against one's time; it is alignment with the deep current both within oneself and within one's age.
- **A** misreads the paragraph; Emerson explicitly tells us to *accept... the connection of events*.
- **B** introduces an unstated opposition.
- **D** restricts the practice; Emerson extends it (*we are now men*).
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