1. RALPH WALDO EMERSON: Make them cry
January 30th, 2012
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) was an American writer and essayist. I came across his work on Seth Godin and Chris Guillebeau’s sites, which encourage people to break out of their self-imposed boxes, follow their passions and find the entrepreneur within. Emerson’s most famous essay, Self-Reliance, is a manifesto on individualism and non-conformity. You can read the entire essay here. More of Emerson’s quotes are featured on my free poster series.
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Zen Pencils adapts inspirational quotes into cartoons. It's illustrated by Gavin Aung Than and there's a new toon every Tuesday. More info
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I think I need to show this to a couple of people.
Well done Gav! Thank god your new work is up, I was beginning to feel a little lost without it!
Thanks Neat – good to be back!
YOUR WORK IS AWESOME AND INSPIRING!!!
Yep, love it. Sorry Gav, I’m going to comment on every single one of these.
Thanks for the comments Al – legend!
U GAV are a badass. Keep up the good work.
oooh never been called badass before! i like it
Really nice. Quite impressive. Hope to see more from you.
As much as I love this, the original is by Sant Kabir, who was a mystic poet and saint of India – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabir .. It goes Kabira Jab Paida Hue To Jag Hansa Hum Roye
Aisi Karni Kar Chalo, Hum Hanse Jag Roye.
Kabir is the bomb.
Aah. Came here to make the same comment!
came here to make the same comment!!
It’s impossible not to love your art
i started from the newest post..and navigated my way here…i’m actually sad that there are no more posts left..brilliant work..just brilliant..thank you for this.
Thanks Tushar
Yeah it’s funny because I just read from the start too and I found this site just a few more days more than exactly a year from when you made this post – hell I probably did find this on the day you posted that since I didn’t read them all in one day!
I’ll have to make Tushar’s words my own:
“i started from the newest post..and navigated my way here…i’m actually sad that there are no more posts left..brilliant work..just brilliant..thank you for this.”
Glad you found your way here Leo
Just Awesome Work Gav….!!
I started from the latest post and it ended where you once started it …!!
On the back way to here some of the post were just brilliant and the artwork is awesome too..!!!
Keep up the good work..i’ll be regular visitor here..!!!
peace “V”…!!!!
Thank you
I really love your works. You make people who see your works understand the meaning of those great quotes. With a guide from your arts
hello Mr Gav Dude,
Today I stumbled upon the awesomeness that is your work. I am going through your archive right now and I would like to thank you for making this wonderful stuff. For a long time now I have been trying to make people read poetry that I really love but for some reason people tend to start yawing when they see lots of text written in paragraphs (they would prefer watching silly kittens on youtube for hours). But today I sent over your Invictus comic to a such friend. He later came up to me and asked “can you please send me some more awesome poetry like this”? Imagine my joy but the credit goes to you. I am an animator and a designer and I will also try to turn some of my favorite poems into comics (I am thinking Neruda and Yeats). By the way do check out “My Country Awake” by Rabindranath Tagore.
Thank you for inspiring me dude,
A fan from Pakistan.
I just read all your comics, and saved them all. From now on, whenever I lose track of who I am, what my goals are, and who I want to be, I will read them until I go back on track. Thank you!
That’s great to hear Nicolas
I see I’m not the only one that started from the newest post and ended here wishing for more… Excelent work!!! I think I’ll be a regular here, keep going this is great!
I just read all of them, and I must say, these are my favorite things on the internet right now.
Score!
Good ! I am a person from Shang Hai China.
Like your comic and prints.
thanks for your effect!
Hey.
I just went through all your comics. And the three part series with the ‘kid’ gave me goosebumps.
Like Parmeet said in a quote before, this quote is a version of a verse by an Indian poet, Kabirdas.
Just thought the added information might be helpful.
I love your work. Please please keep it coming
Finished reading through all your work in reverse chronological order. It’s funny that this should be the last one – so appropriate. I am a palliative care provider and part of my job is to get people to come to terms with death, and remind them that it isn’t about dying really, but rather living a full life. I love this graphical interpretation of RWE’s quote.
Can’t wait to see more of your talent expressed. Kudos!
Hi! nice work with your comics!! I was wondering which computer programm do you use to work like this! thanks!
Your website is officially my favourite thing on the internet.
I think you are going to revolutionize the way people relate to life.
Thank you for being inspired and inspiring others.
Love your work. Big fan. Have seen all and love all.
Thank you again Gav.
I have seen all of your works, and loved them all.
They are really great, I should tell people about this site.
It’s so inspiring
Hey even though this is your first piece of work on the site, I went back from newest to oldest and have to say it is all amazing. I’m so curious though how you do your art, is it on computer? cuz it looks fantastic
Recent to oldest. Love the work. This is a wonderful way to learn inspirational quotes and also remember the thoughts and imagery behind them.
I was assigned to check out this website by my psychology teacher, and I must say I will have to thank him! This is a wonderful website you have here and I am most definitely going to be checking back here regularly!
Really? I’m getting recommended by psychology teachers?? Wow. Tell him I would love to hear from him. Thanks
Please use OSHO’s quotes one of my fav’s : Life is insecurity. Each moment is a move into more and more insecurity. It is a gamble. One never knows what is going to happen. And it is beautiful that one never knows. If it was predictable, life would not be worth living. If everything was as you would like it to be, and everything was certain, you would not be a man at all, you would be a machine. Only for machines is everything secure and certain.
I found your website a few weeks ago, and I’ve read all of them several times over. Some made me laugh, some made me cry, but there wasn’t a single one that didn’t make me think. I’ve shown it to my friends and teachers, and saved them and I look at them every day. Thank you for having the guts to do what you love and share your talents and these quotes with the world, you rock
Thanks Rosie
I found your site through Tumblr and I just went through all of your illustrations/interpretations. And this is a little embarrassing but I actually cried because I was so moved which is something I never do out of happiness. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this work and sharing it with us.
I have just gone backwards through every one of your comics from the latest to this one and am sorry there isn’t more
Why not upload your own quote, one that you’ve learnt from all these comics you’ve inspired us with?
I’ve gone through every page and intend to go through a hundred more times. The illustrations bring the quotes to life and make them all the more powerful. Please keep posting these and never stop.
I never read blogs regularly ever in a life. But after looking at your side, it inspires me a lot and I decided to start reading , the thing i have been trying to do besides my academic work. Thank you so much
Please keep it up!
Well, just went through every single one in reverse order haha. They are lovely.
cuando tú naciste, estabas llorando y todos los demás sonriendo … vive tu la vida modo que al final, tú seas el que esté sonriendo y todos los demás esten llorando
I’m so excited that I stumbled upon Ralph Waldo Emerson. I look forward to looking through all of these comics. If I’m inspired by just a fraction, it should be enough to change my life for the better. You should be very proud of yourself Gavin. Thanks for sharing your creativity.
I don’t speak english very well, but I read all of your works, and its amazing, is very inspiring, of course that I’m saying the obvious, but I think that compliments, is never to much… I’m Brazilian, and despite my bad english I need to say, thank you and congratulations.
Um abraço and sorry for my bad english rs…
Gavin,
Been following your website and drawings for quite some time now. Great job! This particular quote from Ralph Emerson reminded me of a couplet written by a famous Indian saint called Kabir (1440–1518) who said:
When I came into this world, I was crying and the world was laughing (celebrating my birth),
I hope that something happens (God, please do something) whereby, I will laugh and the world weeps!
i wonder if this is an original Emerson quote?