62 Great Henry Van Dyke Quotes That Give Life Lessons
Time is Too Slow for those who Wait, Too Swift for those who Fear, Too Long for those who Grieve, Too Short for those who Rejoice; But for those who Love, Time is not.
To desire and strive to be of some service to the world, to aim at doing something which shall really increase the happiness and welfare and virtue of mankind - this is a choice which is possible for all of us; and surely it is a good haven to sail for.
A river is the most human and companionable of all inanimate things. It has a life, a character, a voice of its own; and it is as full of good fellowship as a sugar maple is of sap. It can talk in various tones, loud or low, and of many subjects grave and gay.... For real company and friendship there is nothing, outside of the animal kingdom, that is comparable to a river.
What you possess in the world will be found at the day of your death to belong to someone else. But what you are will be yours forever.
If all the skies were sunshine Our faces would be fain To feel once more upon them The cooling splash of rain. If all the world were music, Our hearts would often long For one sweet strain of silence, To break the endless song If life were always merry, Our souls would seek relief, And rest from weary laughter In the quiet arms of grief.
Love is not getting, but giving; It is goodness, and honor, and peace and pure living.
There is no conflict between the Old and the New; the conflict is between the False and the True.
Heaven often seems distant and unknown, but if He who made the road... is our guide, we need not fear to lose the way.
There is only one way to get ready for immortality, and that is to love this life and live it as bravely and faithfully and cheerfully as we can.
Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.
Faith is an adventure; it is the courage of the soul to face the unknown. But that courage springs from the hope and confidence of the soul that its adventure will succeed.
Be glαd of life, becαuse it gives you the chαnce to love αnd to work αnd to plαy αnd to look up αt the stαrs; to be sαtisfied with your posessions, to despise nothing in the world except fαlsehood αnd meαnness αnd to feαr nothing except cowαrdice; to be governed by your αdmirαtions rαther thαn by your disgusts, to covet nothing thαt is your neighbour's except his kindness of heαrt αnd gentleness of mαnners; to think seldom of your enemies, often of your friends and to spend αs much time αs you cαn with body αnd with spirit.
These are the things I prize And hold of dearest worth: Light of the sapphire skies, Peace of the silent hills, Shelter of the forests, comfort of the grass, Music of birds, murmur of little rills, Shadows of cloud that swiftly pass, And, after showers, The smell of flowers And of the good brown earth,- And best of all, along the way, friendship and mirth.
Thou warden of the western gate, above Manhattan Bay, The fogs of doubt that hid thy face are driven clean away: Thine eyes at last look far and clear, thou liftest high thy hand To spread the light of liberty world-wide for every land.
Happiness is inward, and not outward; and so, it does not depend on what we have, but on what we are.
Every house where love abides And friendship is a guest, Is surely home, and home sweet home For there the heart can rest.
Love that leads life upward is the noblest and the best.
There are many kinds of love, as many kinds of light, And every kind of love makes a glory in the night. There is love that stirs the heart, and love that gives it rest, But the love that leads life upward is the noblest and the best.
Favorite People, Favorite Places, Favorite Memories of the past ... These are the joys of a lifetime Those are the things that last
Spend as much time as possible, with body and with spirit in God's out-of-doors.
It is better to follow even the shadow of the best, than to remain content with the worst.
The best rose-bush, after all, is not that which has the fewest thorns, but that which bears the finest roses.
A tear that trembles for a little while Upon the trembling eyelid, till the world Wavers within its circle like a dream, Holds more of meaning in its narrow orb Than all the distant landscape that it blurs.
Religion? Yes, I know it well; I've heard its prayers and creeds, And seen men put them all to shame with poor, half-hearted deeds. They follow Christ, but far away; they wander and they doubt. I'll serve him in a better way, and live his precepts out.
Love is the best thing in the world, and the thing that lives the longest.
Gratitude is a two fold love - love coming to visit us, and love running out to greet a welcome guest.
The strength of your life is measured by the strength of your will.
You may have to live in a crowd, but you do not have to live like it.
Tact is the unsaid part of what you think.
Love is not about getting - but giving.
