Henry Van Dyke Quotes (73 Quotes)

Sure such a sight was never seen before!

My life is but a wave, and thou the flood;
I am a leaf and thou the mother-tree;
Nor should I be at all, were I not thine.

But thou shalt speak for love.

The mother mourns, but does not fail,
Her courage and her love prevail
O'er sorrow, and her spirit hears
The promise of triumphant years.

True love will conquer strife,
And strength from conflict flows,
For discord is the thorn of life
And harmony the rose.

Out with the tranquil lights,
Out with the lights that burn
For love and law and human rights!

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

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.

Thou shalt fish for minnows all thy life!

Somewhere, among bright dreams,
A child that once was mine
Had whispered wordless love to him,
And given him a sign.

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

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.

What we do belongs to what we are; and what we are is what becomes of us.

It is with rivers as it is with people: the greatest are not always the most agreeable nor the best to live with.

Can we reach it ere the night?

Half of the secular unrest and dismal, profane sadness of modern society comes from the vain ideas that every man is bound to be a critic for life.

How fascinating is death, the extinction of life. One moment here and the next gone. The light put out and only the empty bag of the body left.

I would not be so much an infidel
As once to dream, or fashion words to tell,
What land could hold my love from thee away.

Every house where love abides And friendship is a guest, Is surely home, and home, sweet home For there the heart can rest.

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

Genius is talent set on fire by courage.

Culture is the habit of being pleased with the best and knowing why.

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.

Many a treasure besides Ali Baba's is unlocked with a verbal key.

God said I am tired of kings.

Surely he is waiting till my steps come nigh;
Love may hide itself awhile, but love can never die.

If life were always merry,
Our souls would seek relief,
And rest from weary laughter
In the quiet arms of grief.

I shall grow old but never lose life's zest, Because the road's last turn will be the best.

Oh, wait a while for Spring!

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

Love is the best thing in the world, and the thing that lives the longest.

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.

All these are thine, and therefore love is thine.

We may be able to tell how many stars are in the Milky Way we may be able to count the petals of every flower, and number the bones of every bird but unless faith leads us to a deeper understanding, a more reverent comprehension of the significance of the universe, God can be no more pleased with our knowledge than the painter is pleased with the fly which touches his picture with its feelers, and sips the varnish from the surface, and dies without dreaming of the meaning, thought, feeling, embodied in the colors.

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

A friend is what the heart needs all the time.

With him the lily shared
The vital joy that breathes itself in bloom;
And every bird that sang beside the nest
Told of the love that broods o'er every living thing.

Let me but find it in my heart to say, When vagrant wishes beckon me astray, 'This is my work my blessing, not my doom Of all who live, I am the one by whom This work can best be done in the right way.'

Thou wayfaring Jesus a pilgrim and stranger, Exiled from heaven by love at Thy birth Exiled again from Thy rest in the manger, A fugitive child 'mid the perils of earth Cheer with Thy fellowship all who are weary, Wandering far from the land that they love Guide every heart that is homeless and dreary, Safe to its home in Thy presence above.

Tact is the unsaid part of what you think its opposite, the unthought part which you say.

Ah, love in beauty born,
A little while the rose!

Little love, too, for ever, ever, near,
Warm love, earth love, tender love of mine,
In the leafy dark where you hide,
You are mine, -- mine, -- mine!

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.

Look around for a place to sow a few seeds.

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

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

Not to the swift, the race Not to the strong, the fight Not to the righteous, perfect grace Not to the wise, the light.

Why, life has just begun for you!

Four things a man must learn to do If he would make his record true To think without confusion clearly To love his fellowmen sincerely To act from honest motives purely To trust in God and Heavn securely.

There are two good rules which ought to be written on every heart - never to believe anything bad about anybody unless you positively know it to be true; never to tell even that unless you feel that it is absolutely necessary, and that God is listening.