Beware of charisma . . . Representative Men; was Ralph Waldo Emerson's 1850 phrase for the great men in a democracy . . . Is there some common quality among these Representative Men who have been most successful as our leaders? I call it the need to be authentic

Summary

This quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson highlights the cautionary aspect of charisma. In his work "Representative Men," Emerson portrayed the significant figures in a democratic society. He questions whether there is a shared attribute among these successful leaders, and he refers to it as the necessity to be authentic. Here, Emerson implies that true leadership requires genuineness and sincerity, suggesting that relying solely on charismatic qualities may be insufficient or even deceptive.

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