John Greenleaf Whittier Quotes

As yonder tower outstretches to the earth
The dark triangle of its shade alone
When the clear day is shining on its top;
So, darkness in the pathway of man's life
Is but the shadow of God's providence,
By the great Sun of wisdom cast thereon;
And what is dark below is light in heaven.

It has often been said that the New World is deficient in the elements of poetry and romance ; that its bards must of necessity linger over the classic ruins of other lands; and draw their sketches of character from foreign sources, and paint Nature under the soft beauty of an Eastern sky. On the contrary, New England is full of Romance....we have mountains pillaring a sky as blue as that which bends over classic Olympus; streams as bright and beautiful as those of Greece and Italy, and forests richer and nobler than those which of old were haunted by Sylph and Dryad.

And sweet and far as from a star, replied a voice which shall not cease, till drowning all the noise of war, it sings the blessed song of peace

Rest if you must, but never quit.

Perish with him the folly that seeks through evil good.

Give lettered pomp to teeth of Time,
So "Bonnie Doon" but tarry;
Blot out the epic’s stately rhyme,
But spare his "Highland Mary!"

If we write at all, why not use our talents to the best advantage?

But dream not helm and harness
The sign of valor true;
Peace hath higher tests of manhood
Than battle ever knew.

"For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these: "It might have been!

Peace hath higher tests of manhood than battle ever knew.

The eyes of memory will not sleep, Its ears are open wide; And vigils with the past they keep Against my feeble will.

Better heresy of doctrine than heresy of heart.

Nothing before, nothing behind;
The steps of faith
Fall on the seeming void, and find
The Rock beneath.

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is strange with its twists and turns
As every one of us sometimes learns
And many a failure comes about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow — You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out — The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell just how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit — It's when things seem worst that you must not quit

Flowers spring to blossom where she walks
The careful ways of duty;
Our hard, stiff lines of life with her
Are flowing curves of beauty.