Anathema to Growth, as Both

¶ … anathema to growth, as both consistency and conformity are the enemies of self-reliance. "The other terror that scares us from self-trust is our consistency; a reverence for our past act or word, because the eyes of others have no other data for computing our orbit than our past acts, and we are loath to disappoint them." (paragraph 12)

Character

A person's character may be reflected in words and deeds but also transcends those external signs. "Character teaches above our wills. Men imagine that they communicate their virtue or vice only by overt actions, and do not see that virtue or vice emit a breath every moment." (15)

The approved version of history is a distortion of the truth because only the narratives of kings and wars are included: "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." (19)

Prayer

Prayer should not be used for the petition of materialistic wants; prayer is an outpouring of spiritual joy and gratitude. "Prayer that craves a particular commodity, -- any thing less than all good, -- is vicious. Prayer is the contemplation of the facts of life from the highest point-of-view. It is the soliloquy of a beholding and jubilant soul." (36)

5) Travel

Travel is too often used as an escape and reflects deep spiritual discontent. "The soul is no traveller; the wise man stays at home, and when his necessities, his duties, on any occasion call him from his house, or into foreign lands, he is at home still." (39)

6) Individualism