Henry Van Dyke

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.

Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world stronger than hate stronger than evil stronger than death and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love Then you can keep Christmas.

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

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 while you tell it.

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.

Tact is the unsaid part of what you think.

It is not the gift but the thought that counts.

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

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

In the progress of personality, first comes a declaration of independence, then a recognition of interdependence.

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

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 lifes heart warming wine.

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.

You can't choose between Love and Friendship. They're like a package: You either get both or you lose both

Look around for a place to sow a few seeds.

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

A friend is what the heart needs all the time.

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.

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.

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

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 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.

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

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.

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

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

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

Self is the only prison that can ever bind the soul.

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

Genius is talent set on fire by courage.

A peace that depends on fear is nothing but a suppressed war.

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.

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

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

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

As long as habit and routine dictate the pattern of living, new dimensions of the soul will not emerge.

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

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

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