evidence: I'm writing a paper on the quote "what lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us" by Ralph Waldo Emerson I need to know when he said this? what writing is it from? I found this on the official Ralph Waldo Emerson site rwe. org in their "Frequent Queries" Section: Q. Can you tell me the source of the quote "What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."