---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Wise cultivated, genial conversation is…"
description: "\"Wise cultivated, genial conversation is the last flower of civilization, and the best result which life has to offer us,--a cup for gods, which has no ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/201/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_accounts_wise-cultivated-genial-conversation-is-t_855756.jpg"
---

#  Wise cultivated, genial conversation is the last flower of…

![“Wise cultivated, genial conversation is the last flower of civilization, and the best result which life has to offer us,--a cup for gods, which has no repentance. Conversation is our account of ourselves. All we have, all we can, all we know, is brought into play, and as the reproduction in finer…” quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/201/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_accounts_wise-cultivated-genial-conversation-is-t_855756.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/201/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_accounts_wise-cultivated-genial-conversation-is-t_855756.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/201/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_accounts_wise-cultivated-genial-conversation-is-t_855756.jpg)

> “Wise cultivated, genial conversation is the last flower of civilization, and the best result which life has to offer us,--a cup for gods, which has no repentance. Conversation is our account of ourselves. All we have, all we can, all we know, is brought into play, and as the reproduction in finer form, of all our havings.”

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Emerson describes cultivated conversation as civilization’s finest achievement, a divine offering that reveals our identity and knowledge, reproducing our inner wealth in refined form.

**In simple terms:** Conversation reveals and refines us.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate thoughtful dialogue.

Themes

civilization communication culture self‑knowledge refinement

Mood

thoughtful uplifting

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- social gatherings
- educational settings
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

Dialogue human connection philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- What makes dialogue truly enriching?
- How can we ensure all voices are heard?

A Different Perspective

Conversation can become superficial or exclusionary.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Repentance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repentance/) [Reproduction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reproduction/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/)

## Related quotes

> [Conversation is our account of ourselves...Conversation is the vent of character as well as thoughts...It is the laboratory of the student.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/conversation-is-our-account-of-ourselves-conversation-is-the-vent-of/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [If I were called upon to define briefly the word Art, I should call it the reproduction of what the senses preceive in nature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/if-i-were-called-upon-to-define-briefly-the-word-art-i-should-call-it/)

[Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/)

> [A story is told that Whistler once painted a tiny picture of a spray of roses. The artistry involved in the picture was magnificent.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/a-story-is-told-that-whistler-once-painted-a-tiny-picture-of-a-spray/)

[Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/)

> [The merit of painting lies in the exactness of reproduction. Painting is a science and all sciences are based on mathematics. No human inquiry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-merit-of-painting-lies-in-the-exactness-of-reproduction-painting/)

[Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/)

> [“A dying organism is often observed to be capable of extraordinary endurance and strength. ... When any living organism is attacked, its whole function…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/a-dying-organism-is-often-observed-to-be-capable-of-extraordinary/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [It was to Hofmeister, working as a young man, an amateur and enthusiast, in the early morning hours of summer months, before business, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-harry-church/it-was-to-hofmeister-working-as-a-young-man-an-amateur-and-enthusiast/)

Arthur Harry Church

> [As a boy, I used to look at reproductions of Rembrandt's portraits... the people in his paintings were so real I felt I knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cobley/as-a-boy-i-used-to-look-at-reproductions-of-rembrandt-s-portraits-the/)

[David Cobley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cobley/)

> [“Conception is not some genteel, quiet pastime; it’s a fierce and unforgiving team sport.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-natterson-horowitz/conception-is-not-some-genteel-quiet-pastime-it-s-a-fierce-and/)

[Barbara Natterson-Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-natterson-horowitz/)

> [We are still in various kinds of patriarchal systems. The very definition of patriarchy is that men control women as the means of reproduction,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/we-are-still-in-various-kinds-of-patriarchal-systems-the-very/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [A camera is wild in just about anybody's hands, therefore one must set limits. But cameras have a life of their own. Cameras care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smithson/a-camera-is-wild-in-just-about-anybody-s-hands-therefore-one-must-set/)

[Robert Smithson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-smithson/)

> [My music must be an artistic reproduction of human speech in all its finest shades. That is, the sounds of human speech, as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/modest-petrovich-mussorgsky/my-music-must-be-an-artistic-reproduction-of-human-speech-in-all-its/)

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky

> [If this labourer were in possession of his own means of production, and was satisfied to live as a labourer, he need not work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/if-this-labourer-were-in-possession-of-his-own-means-of-production/)

[Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/)

> [I wonder if most people ever ask themselves why love is connected with reproduction. And if they do ask themselves about this, I wonder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-adler/i-wonder-if-most-people-ever-ask-themselves-why-love-is-connected/)

[Mortimer Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-adler/)

> [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [“The human egg is a Mrs. Bennet, desperate to marry off her daughters...It is a truth universally acknowledged that a sperm must be in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/the-human-egg-is-a-mrs-bennet-desperate-to-marry-off-her-daughters-it/)

[Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/)

## More by Ralph Waldo Emerson

> [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [If we will not interfere with our thought, but will act entirely, or see how the thing stands in God, we know the particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-we-will-not-interfere-with-our-thought-but-will-act-entirely-or/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Consideration is the soil in which wisdom may be expected to grow, and strength be given to every up-springing plant of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/consideration-is-the-soil-in-which-wisdom-may-be-expected-to-grow-and/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [“There is then creative reading as well as creative writing. When the mind is braced by labor and invention, the page of whatever book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/there-is-then-creative-reading-as-well-as-creative-writing-when-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [The order of things consents to virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-order-of-things-consents-to-virtue/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Life only avails, not the having lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/life-only-avails-not-the-having-lived/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [A child reminds us that playtime is an essential part of our daily routine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-child-reminds-us-that-playtime-is-an-essential-part-of-our-daily/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [No man can be criticised but by a greater than he. Do not, then, read the reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/no-man-can-be-criticised-but-by-a-greater-than-he-do-not-then-read/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [I am; therefore, I had nothing better to do than to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/i-am-therefore-i-had-nothing-better-to-do-than-to-think/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [In a library we are surrounded by many hundreds of dear friends, but they are imprisoned by an enchanter in these paper and leathern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/in-a-library-we-are-surrounded-by-many-hundreds-of-dear-friends-but/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

[Explore all 4,802 Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

## More Accounts quotes

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-of-these-things-whence-you-came-where-you-are-going-and-to-whom/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [The Hindus have a peculiar slovenliness in business matters, not being sufficiently methodical and strict in keeping accounts etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-hindus-have-a-peculiar-slovenliness-in-business-matters-not-being/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/with-the-truman-book-i-wrote-the-entire-account-of-his-experiences-in/)

[David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/)

> [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/)

[Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/)

> [I had a very blessed journey with the upbringing I had. When you're working on sets as a stuntman, you have a firsthand account…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-roman-waugh/i-had-a-very-blessed-journey-with-the-upbringing-i-had-when-you-re/)

[Ric Roman Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-roman-waugh/)

> [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [You've got to exercise. Your health account, your bank account, they're the same thing. The more you put in, the more you can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lalanne/you-ve-got-to-exercise-your-health-account-your-bank-account-they-re/)

[Jack LaLanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lalanne/)

> [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. If the music industry wants to save money, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/stop-trying-to-treat-music-like-it-s-a-tennis-shoe-something-to-be/)

[Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/)

> [Anyone who thinks science is trying to make human life easier or more pleasant is utterly mistaken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/anyone-who-thinks-science-is-trying-to-make-human-life-easier-or-more/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [That surely must be a concern to anyone who decides this drug must be given to stop transmissions, again from mother to child, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/that-surely-must-be-a-concern-to-anyone-who-decides-this-drug-must-be/)

[Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/)

Browse all 2,677 Accounts quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Wise cultivated, genial conversation is the last flower of civilization, and the best result which life has to offer us,--a cup for gods, which has no repentance. Conversation is our account of ourselves. All we have, all we can, all we know, is brought into play, and as the reproduction in finer form, of all our havings.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ralph Waldo Emerson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/wise-cultivated-genial-conversation-is-the-last-flower-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accounts"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/wise-cultivated-genial-conversation-is-the-last-flower-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/201/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_accounts_wise-cultivated-genial-conversation-is-t_855756.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/201/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_accounts_wise-cultivated-genial-conversation-is-t_855756.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/201/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_accounts_wise-cultivated-genial-conversation-is-t_855756.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Wise cultivated, genial conversation is the last flower of civilization, and the best result which life has…” — Ralph Waldo Emerson",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Ralph Waldo Emerson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Wise cultivated, genial conversation is the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/wise-cultivated-genial-conversation-is-the-last-flower-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/wise-cultivated-genial-conversation-is-the-last-flower-of/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
