Henry Van Dyke

“Some people are so afraid to die that they never begin to live.”

“Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.”

“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 eternity.”

“There is a loftier ambition than to stand high in the world. It is to stoop down and lift mankind a little higher.”

“Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars.”

“A friend is what the heart needs all the time.”

“Happiness is inward, and not outward; and so, it does not depend on what we have, but on what we are.”

“The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month.”

“He that planteth a tree is a servant of God, he provideth a kindness for many generations, and faces that he hath not seen shall bless him.”

“There is no personal charm so great as the charm of a cheerful temperament.”

“Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.”

“A torn jacket is soon mended; but hard words bruise the heart of a child.”

“Every house where love abides and friendship is a guest, is surely home, and home sweet home, for there the heart can rest.”

“Genius is talent set on fire by courage.”

“The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you.”