Ralph Waldo Emerson’s literary work “Self-Reliance,” challenged my view of education. Emerson posits that people who possess the attribute of “self-reliance” do not allow society and society’s social norms to influence their beliefs or judgments. In school, we studied many famous scholars who possessed "self-reliance.” Emerson explains that scholars such as Moses, Plato, and Milton did not acknowledge books and traditions from the past. He points out that these men we ascribe to and learn about in school did not use their source of books and traditions to help gain knowledge. In “Self-Reliance,” Emerson constantly stresses the importance to “trust thyself.” How can one trust thyself if he or she does not have other knowledge from books and