Emerson makes his arguments along several threads. While he champions the present and rejects things like reverence or nostalgia for the past (these things too easily breed imitation), he does allude to former “greats” in various fields to prove the effectiveness of individualism. He specifically mentions the biblical figure Moses, the Greek philosopher Plato, the English poet John Milton (author of Paradise Lost), the English playwright William Shakespeare, and a few other men associated with American revolutionary politics and the Scientific Revolution. Those men made their respective contributions to the world, and men who follow in their wake will make distinct contributions. This is why imitation is valueless and originality is virtuous in Emerson’s model.

Another element of the argument of “Self-Reliance” is its implications in the realm of religion. Emerson rejects the legitimacy of rigid power hierarchies within organized religion and devalues prayer for the sake merely of materialistic gain. Prayer in a transactional sense, encouraged by common religious practices, goes against the true purpose of communion with God, which should be to better one’s self and access one’s own divinity.

In his language, Emerson focuses exclusively on men and boys. He admires “the nonchalance of boys” who, in Emerson’s estimation, are “independent” and “irresponsible” and vocally judgmental without fear of consequence or disapproval.