Washington Irving Quotes

"There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love."

"Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great minds rise above them."

"A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles."

"Great minds have purposes; others have wishes."

"Sweet is the memory of distant friends! Like the mellow rays of the departing sun, it falls tenderly, yet sadly, on the heart."

"A sharp tongue is the only edge tool that grows keener with constant use."

"One of the greatest and simplest tools for learning more and growing is doing more."

"The natural effect of sorrow over the dead is to refine and elevate the mind."

"There is in every woman's heart a spark of heavenly fire which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity, but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity."

"They who drink beer will think beer."

"There is never jealousy where there is not strong regard."

"Age is a matter of feeling, not of years."

"A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands. But a mother's love endures through all."

"Love is never lost. If not reciprocated, it will flow back and soften and purify the heart."

"Whenever a man's friends begin to compliment him about looking young, he may be sure that they think he is growing old."

"Honest good humor is the oil and wine of a merry meeting, and there is no jovial companionship equal to that where the jokes are rather small and laughter abundant."

"Young lawyers attend the courts, not because they have business there, but because they have no business."

"There is in every true woman's heart, a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity, but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity."

"I've had it with you and your emotional constipation!"

"A woman's whole life is a history of the affections."

"Some minds seem almost to create themselves, springing up under every disadvantage and working their solitary but irresistible way through a thousand obstacles."

"There is certain relief in change, even though it be from bad to worse! As I have often found in traveling in a stagecoach, that it is often a comfort to shift one's position, and be bruised in a new place."

"The tongue is the only tool that gets sharper with use."

"There is a serene and settled majesty to woodland scenery that enters into the soul and delights and elevates it, and fills it with noble inclinations."

"Who ever hears of fat men heading a riot, or herding together in turbulent mobs? No - no, your lean, hungry men who are continually worrying society, and setting the whole community by the ears."

"Marriage is the torment of one, the felicity of two, the strife and enmity of three."

"Temper never mellows with age, and a sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener with constant use."

"An inexhaustible good nature is one of the most precious gifts of heaven, spreading itself like oil over the troubled sea of thought, and keeping the mind smooth and equable in the roughest weather."

"Acting provides the fulfillment of never being fulfilled. You're never as good as you'd like to be. So there's always something to hope for."

"There is a healthful hardiness about real dignity that never dreads contact and communion with others however humble."