Nathaniel Parker Willis Quotes

One lamp—thy mother's love—amid the stars
Shall lift its pure flame changeless, and, before
The throne of God burn through eternity—
Holy—as it was lit and lent thee here.

So many of the very funny things are very natural, we do them all every day. They’re just that little bit heightened, which is what makes you fall on the floor when you’re doing it. Sometimes we can’t finish a take because we’re laughing too much, and sometimes you see the cameraman chuckling and we have to do it again. Not having done many comedies, that must be the sign of a very funny script!

If there is any thing that keeps the mind
Open to angel visits, and repels
The ministry of ill—'tis human love.

It is the month of June, The month of leaves and roses,
When pleasant sights salute the eyes, And pleasant scents the noses.

Let us weep in our darkness—but weep not for him!
Not for him—who, departing, leaves millions in tears!
Not for him—who has died full of honor and years!
Not for him—who ascended Fame’s ladder so high
From the round at the top he has stepp'd to the sky.

But the sin forgiven by Christ in Heaven By man is cursed alway!

At present there is no distinction among the upper ten thousand of the city.

They are all up—the innumerable stars—
And hold their place in heaven. […]
There they stand,
Shining in order, like a living hymn
Written in light, awaking at the breath
Of the celestial dawn, and praising Him
Who made them, with the harmony of spheres.

The value of life deepens incalculably with the privileges of travel.

He who binds
His soul to knowledge steals the key of heaven.

Wisdom sits alone
Topmost in Heaven.

For it stirs the blood in an old man’s heart, And makes his pulses fly,
To catch the thrill of a happy voice, And the light of a pleasant eye.