Shakespeare astonishes by his equality in every play, act, scene or line. One would say he must have been a thousand years old when he wrote his first line, so thoroughly is his thought familiar to him, and has such scope and so solidly worded, as if it were already a proverb and not hereafter to become one.
Where can we look for guidance in mastering our thought? Emerson points to Shakespeare not as an idol, but as an example of one who has reached the peak of human performance. All those who have reached this peak can serve us if we are able to find ourselves in their shoes. When their performance is extraordinary it is difficult to believe that we each can accomplish something similar. At times like these we must remember that what one has done, all of us have done. As Shakespeare wrote, so do we all. Our accomplishment may not be in literature but is no less for that. Excellence in any endeavor requires self-mastery, which is largely mastery of our mental life, of our thought. The problem is only one of belief. We must not believe that we each bear the seeds of greatness, we must know it. Then we can cultivate the germ of greatness that lies in each of us.
This page is the commentary on Page 45