Henry Van Dyke Quotes - Page 3

Lord, when my spirit shall return to thee, At the foot of a friendly tree let my body be buried, That this dust may rise and rejoice among the branches.

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.

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

Spend as much time as possible, with body and with spirit in God's out-of-doors.

These are the things I prize And hold of dearest worth: Light of the sapphire skies, Peace of the silent hills, Shelter of the forests, comfort of the grass, Music of birds, murmur of little rills, Shadows of cloud that swiftly pass, And, after showers, The smell of flowers And of the good brown earth,- And best of all, along the way, friendship and mirth.

But this I know. Those who seek Him will do well to look among the poor and the lowly, the sorrowful and the oppressed.

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

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

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

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

Tact is the unsaid part of what you think.

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.

You may have to live in a crowd, but you do not have to live like it.

Christ never asks us to give up merely for the sake of giving up, but always in order to win something better.

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

Ere thou sleepest, gently lay Every troubled thought away; Put off worry and distress As thou puttest off thy dress; Drop thy burden and thy care In the quiet arms of prayer. Lord thou knowest how I live, All I'VE DONE AMISS FORGIVE; ALL OF GOOD I'VE TRIED TO DO STRENGTHEN, bless and carry through; All I love in safety keep While in Thee I fall asleep.

There is no personal charm so great as the charm of a cheerful temperament.

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.

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

Subjection to fear is weakness, bondage, feverish unrest. To be afraid is to have no soul that we can call our own; it is to be at the beck and call of alien powers, to be chained and driven and tormented; it is to lose the life itself in the anxious care to keep it.

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

Memory is a capricious and arbitrary creature. You never can tell what pebble she will pick up from the shore of life to keep among her treasures, or what inconspicuous flower of the field she will preserve as the symbol of "thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears." . . . And yet I do not doubt that the most Important things are always the best remembered.

So let the way wind up the hill or down, O’er rough or smooth, the journey will be joy; Still seeking what I sought when but a boy, New friendship, high adventure, and a crown. My heart will keep the courage of the quest, And hope the road’s last turn will be the best.

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

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