Quotes by Henry Van Dyke

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

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.

Be grateful for the tiny details of your life an make room for unexpected and beautiful blessings.

I'm only wishing to go a-fishing;For this the month of May was made.

Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best.

The restless, deep, dividing sea that flows and foams from shore to shore calls to its sunburned chivalry push out, set sail, explore!

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.

In love and friendship, small, steady payments on a gold basis are better than immense promissory notes.

We cannot find happiness until we forget to seek for it.

Tact is the unsaid part of what you think; it's opposite, the unthought part of which you say.

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

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.

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.

Tact ... is the unsaid part of what you think.... And there is only one thing more potent -- its opposite -- the unthought part of what you say.

Oh, to those bereft of hope
Sleep is the only blessing left -- the last
Asylum of the weary, the one sign
Of pity from impenetrable heaven.

Waking is strife; sleep is the truce of God!

If all the world were music,
Our hearts would often long
For one sweet strain of silence.
To break the endless song.

Peace without Justice is a low estate, --
A coward cringing to an iron Fate!
But Peace through Justice is the great ideal, --
We'll pay the price of war to make it real.

A peaceful man must fight
For that which peace demands, --
Freedom and faith, honor and right,
Defend with heart and hands.

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.

A little while the rose,
And after that the thorn;
An hour of dewy morn,
And then the glamour goes.
Ah, love in beauty born,
A little while the rose!

What is Friendship? Something deep

That the heart can spend and keep:

Wealth that greatens while we give,

Praise that heartens us to live.

What is Fortune, what is Fame?

Futile gold and phantom name --

Riches buried in a cave,

Glory written on a grave.

What is Fortune, what is Fame?

Futile gold and phantom name --

Riches buried in a cave,

Glory written on a grave.

Courage is the standing army of the soul which keeps it from conquest, pillage, and slavery.

One truly affectionate soul in a family will evert a sweetening and harmonizing influence upon all its members.

The more keenly we are awake to the perils of life, the higher and grander is the possibility of being truly brave.

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.

The storm is ended! The impartial sunLaughs down upon the battle lost and won,And crowns the triumph of the cloudy hostIn rolling lines retreating to the coast.

Fidelity is simply daring to be true in small things as well as great.

So in the heart, When, fading slowly down the past, Fond memories depart, And each that leaves it seems the last; Long after all the rest are flown, Returns a solitary tone,— The after-echo of departed years,— And touches all the soul to tears.

Jazz: Music invented for the torture of imbeciles.

This is the gospel of labour, ring it, ye bells of the kirk! The Lord of Love came down from above, to live with the men who work. This is the rose that He planted, here in the thorn-curst soil: Heaven is blest with perfect rest, but the blessing of Earth is toil.

Even if we should find another Eden, we would not be fit to enjoy it perfectly nor stay in it forever.

Peace without Justice is a low estate,— A coward cringing to an iron Fate! But Peace through Justice is the great ideal,— We'll pay the price of war to make it real.

Flowers rejoice when night is done, Lift their heads to greet the sun; Sweetest looks and odours raise, In a silent hymn of praise.

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 Heav'n securely.

In warlike pomp, with banners flowing, The regiments of autumn stood: I saw their gold and scarlet glowing From every hillside, every wood.

Modest egotism is the salt of conversation; you do not want too much of it, but if it is altogether omitted, everything tastes flat.

The kingdom of birds is divided into two departments -- birds and House Sparrows. House Sparrows are not real birds -- they are little beasts!

We are all swimmers in God's mighty sea.

Love is the heart s immortal thirst to be completely known and all forgiven.

Be grateful for the tiny details of your life and make room for unexpected and beautiful blessings.

Tact is the unsaid part of what you think.

Oh, London is a man's town, there's power in the air; And Paris is a woman's town, with flowers in her hair; And it's sweet to dream in Venice, and it's great to study Rome; But when it comes to living, there is no place like home.

The woods would be quiet if no bird sang but the one that sang best.

The world is full of warfare 'twixt the evil and the good;I watched the battle from afar as one who understoodThe shouting and confusion, the bloody, blundering fight-How few there are that see it clear, how few that wage it right!

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

For real company and friendship, there is nothing outside the animal kingdom that is comparable to a river.

I thank God for the honesty and virility of Jesus religion which makes us face the facts and calls us to take a man's part in the real battle of life.

Deeds not Words: I say so too! And yet I find it somehow true, A word may help a man in need, To nobler act and braver deed.

Not to the swift, the race: Not to the strong, the fight: Not to the righteous, perfect grace: Not to the wise, the light. But often faltering feet Come surest to the goal; And they who walk in darkness meet The sunrise of the soul.

Come, my friend, forget your foes, and leave your fears behind, And wander forth to try your luck, with cheerful, quiet mind; For be your fortune great or small, you take what God will give, And all the day your heart will say, 'Tis luck enough to live.

A peaceful man must fight For that which peace demands,— Freedom and faith, honor and right, Defend with heart and hands.

Like water spilt upon the ground -- alas, Our little lives flow swiftly on and pass; Yet may they bring rich harvests and green grass!

Natural beauty and wonder are priceless heirlooms which God has bestowed upon our nation. How shall we escape the contempt of the coming generation if we suffer this irreplaceable heritage to be wasted?

A flawless cup: how delicate and fine The flowing curve of every jewelled line! Look, turn it up or down, 'tis perfect still -- But holds no drop of life's heart-warming wine.

Long ago Apollo called to Aristæus, youngest of the shepherds, Saying, I will make you keeper of my bees. Golden were the hives, and golden was the honey; golden, too, the music, Where the honey-makers hummed among the trees.

The simple life which blandly ignores all care and conflict, soon becomes flabby and invertebrate, sentimental and gelatinous.

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.

The birth of Jesus is the sunrise in the Bible.

Hymns of today that may be sung by people who know the thought of the age...are not afraid that any truth of science will destroy Christianity, or any revolution will overthrow the Kingdom of Heaven.

Life is an arrow, therefore you must know What mark to aim at, how to use the bow -- Then draw it to the head and let it go!

We measure success by accumulation. The measure is false. The true measure is appreciation. He who loves most has most.

Gratitude is a two fold love -- love coming to visit us, and love running out to greet a welcome guest.

Favorite People, Favorite Places,

Favorite Memories of the past ...

These are the joys of a lifetime

Those are the things that last.

The best rose-bush, after all, is not that which has the fewest thorns, but that which bears the finest roses.

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

Hours fly,

Flowers die:

New days,

New ways:

Pass by!

Love stays.

No amount of energy will take the place of thought. A strenuous life with its eyes shut is a kind of wild insanity.

No amount of energy will take the place of thought.

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 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.

O' who will walk with me along lifes merry way? A comrade blithe and full of glee, who dares to laugh out loud and free.

Love is not getting, but giving. Not a wild dream of pleasure and madness of desire -- oh, no -- love is not that! It is goodness and honor and peace and pure living -- yes, love is that and it is the best thing in the world and the thing that lives the longest.

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.

There is a better thing than the observance of Christmas day, and that is, keeping Christmas.

No matter what theory of the origin of government you adopt, if you follow it out to its legitimate conclusions it will bring you face to face with the moral law.

The Bible does not profess to make men omniscient, but simply to tell them enough to make them happy and good, if they will believe it and live up to it.

I heard through the nightThe rush and the clamour;The pulse of the fightLike blows of Thor's hammer;The pattering flightOf the leaves, and the anguishedMoan of the forest vanquished.

All Thy works with joy surround Thee, God of glory, Lord of Love; Stars and angels sing around Thee, Center of unbroken praise. Field and forest, vale and mountain, Flowery meadow, flashing sea, Chanting bird and flowing fountain, Call us to rejoice in Thee.

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.

Those who would see wonderful things must often be ready to travel alone.

What do I owe my father? Everything!

Oh, London is a man's town, there's power in the air;
And Paris is a woman's town, with flowers in her hair;
And it's sweet to dream in Venice, and it's great to study Rome;
But when it comes to living there is no place like home.

Who seeks for heaven alone to save his soul,
May keep the path, but will not reach the goal;
While he who walks in love may wander far,
Yet God will bring him where the blessed are.