Introduction In the building of an ideal economy, the role of an individual plays a major part following arguments by various authors. The role of individualism in economic building had been explored by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his essay, Self Reliance and Andrew Carnegie’s, The Gospel of Truth. Waldo was a 19 th -century philosopher in America with outstanding intellectual at that age. His thoughts can still be applied in modern times especially for an ideal economy model. In Self Reliance , he propels the theory of individualism as entrenched in the American way of life. On the other hand, Andrew Carnegie in his essay, The Gospel of Wealth also propagates the importance of individualism in the building of economic supremacy. This paper; then, looks into the significance of individualism in an ideal economy as viewed by the two authors. Self Reliance Emerson in Self Reliance propagates the supremacy of individualism in economic building. In the essay, he believes that people share unique talents that if nurtured well, will lead to conformity with the social ideals and bring revolution. The uniqueness as perceived by Emerson manifests itself in religion, art and education among other spheres of life. Society never prospers because all that is accumulated at one end is receded in the other end. He hails positivity of individualism that, “Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles,” (Cumming, 2003). Emerson’s main concern is that when a man dies he/she dies with all ideas or worse still is the man who does not share business ideas with others. The society lacks mechanism to drive an ideal economy. This is so if a comparison can be drawn between economies that have embedded civilization and the ones that have not. Two factors discourage individualist economy. The first is the fear of nonconformity with the society as has been said above. The second factor is what is termed foolish consistency. Foolish consistency is an undoing factor in view of economic building. “A foolish consistency is hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines,” (Cumming, 2003). When one is unique in his/her deeds, society views this as inconsistency even though it is what constitutes an individual success. If we can do what we think is right and proceed with it to the end, we will reach our final destination and everybody will prosper and so will be the economy. Individualism is the mother of invention regardless of society’s disapproval. By embracing trust thyself ideals, self-esteem will be highly boosted and confidence to reach where those who had prospered are. Gospel of Wealth In the Gospel of Wealth, Carnegie recollects the significant step civilization has brought that has transformed the society from dominance by the super-rich over the noble families. “The contrast between the palace of millionaire and the cottage of the laborer with us today measure the change…, it is upon us, beyond our power to alter, and therefore, to be accepted and made the best of,” (Carnegie, p.1). The role of individualism in economic growth is fronted by competition. Competition has its own laws which must be taken positively since its benefits are far better than costs associated with it. Though competition hits an individual hard, there is no escape if the race of dominance is to be won. Competition is