Authors:

James Russell Lowell Quotes - Page 9

All Quotes Age Ambition Atheism Belief Bravery Character Charity Children Choices Christ Church Compromise Conscience Country Crime Criticism Death Democracy Desire Destiny Devil Duty Earth Education Evil Experience Failing Failure Faith Fame Fate Fear Freedom Funny Genius Giving Glory God Gold Grief Happiness Heart Heaven Human Nature Humanity Imagination Inspirational Knowledge Liberty Life Literature Love Lying Memories Morality Nature Originality Passion Past Peace Poetry Praise Pride Progress Quality Rain Reading Reality Religion Running Silence Simplicity Society Son Sorrow Soul Spring Style Success Summer Time Tradition Truth Tyranny Victory Waiting War Weakness Wealth Weed Wisdom Work Writing Youth
Year by year, more and more of the world gets disenchanted. Even the icy privacy of the arctic and antarctic circles is invaded. We have played Jack Horner with our earth, till there is never a plum left in it.

Year by year, more and more of the world gets disenchanted. Even the icy privacy of the arctic and antarctic circles is invaded. We have played Jack Horner with our earth, till there is never a plum left in it.

James Russell Lowell
Circles, Years, Earth
James Russell Lowell (1864). “Fireside Travels”, p.181

In general those who nothing have to say Contrive to spend the longest time in doing it.

James Russell Lowell
Speech
James Russell Lowell (1871). “The poetical works of James Russell Lowell”, p.365

The green grass floweth like a stream Into the oceans's blue.

James Russell Lowell
Ocean, Blue, Green
James Russell Lowell, “The Sirens”

It is beginning to be doubtful whether Parliament and Congress sit in Westminster and Washington, or in the editorial rooms of the leading journals,--so thoroughly is everything debated before the authorized and responsible debaters get on their legs.

James Russell Lowell
Legs, Rooms, Printing
James Russell Lowell (1897). “Literary and political addresses”

I love her with a love as still As a broad river's peaceful might, Which by high tower and lowly mill, Goes wandering at its own will, And yet does ever flow aright.

James Russell Lowell
Love, Peace, Rivers
James Russell Lowell (1871). “The poetical works of James Russell Lowell”, p.7

The snow had begun in the gloaming, and busily all the night had been heaping field and highway with a silence deep and white.

James Russell Lowell
Night, White, Snow
James Russell Lowell (2016). “Delphi Complete Poetical Works of James Russell Lowell (Illustrated)”, p.631, Delphi Classics

No man, I suspect, ever lived long in the country without being bitten by these meteorological ambitions. He likes to be hotter and colder, to have been more deeply snowed up, to have more trees and larger blown down than his neighbors.

James Russell Lowell
Country, Ambition, Men
James Russell Lowell (1871). “My Study Windows”, p.3

Ah, men do not know how much strength is in poise, That he goes the farthest who goes far enough.

James Russell Lowell
Strength, Wisdom, Men
James Russell Lowell (1871). “The poetical works of James Russell Lowell”, p.147

There is something solid and doughty in the man that can rise from defeat, the stuff of which victories are made in due time, when we are able to choose our position better, and the sun is at our back.

James Russell Lowell
Men, Victory, Sun
James Russell Lowell (2016). “Delphi Complete Poetical Works of James Russell Lowell (Illustrated)”, p.1080, Delphi Classics

Human nature has a much greater genius for sameness than for originality.

James Russell Lowell
Genius, Originality, Human Nature
James Russell Lowell (1871). “My Study Windows”, p.63

Literature, properly so called, draws its sap from the deep soil of human nature's common and everlasting sympathies, the gathered leaf-mound of countless generations, and not from any top dressing capriciously scattered over the surface.

James Russell Lowell
Soil, Generations, Sap

What men call luck Is the prerogative of valiant souls, The fealty life pays its rightful kings.

James Russell Lowell
Kings, Men, Soul
James Russell Lowell (1861). “Poetical Works”, p.103

This imputation of inconsistency is one to which every sound politician and every honest thinker must sooner or later subject himself. The foolish and the dead alone never change their opinion.

James Russell Lowell
Sound, Opinion, Honest
James Russell Lowell (2016). “Delphi Complete Poetical Works of James Russell Lowell (Illustrated)”, p.1780, Delphi Classics

The quiet tenderness of Chaucer, where you almost seem to hear the hot tears falling, and the simple choking words sobbed out.

James Russell Lowell
Fall, Simple, Tears
James Russell Lowell (1845). “Conversations on Some of the Old Poets”, p.16

Time makes ancient good uncouth.

James Russell Lowell
Onward And Upward, Ancient, Uncouth
'The Present Crisis' (1845)

Be NOBLE! and the nobleness that liesIn other men, sleeping, but never dead,Will rise in majesty to meet thine own.

James Russell Lowell
Lying, Sleep, Men
James Russell Lowell (1853). “Poems”, p.220

It is only by instigation of the wrongs of men that what are called the Rights of Man become turbulent and dangerous.

James Russell Lowell
Men, Rights, Revolution
"Essays, English and American: With Introductions and Notes".

Freedom needs all her poets; it is they Who give her aspirations wings, And to the wiser law of music sway Her wild imaginings.

James Russell Lowell
Freedom, Law, Wings
James Russell Lowell (1871). “The poetical works of James Russell Lowell”, p.107

Life may be given in many ways, and loyalty to truth be sealed as bravely in the closet as the field.

James Russell Lowell
Loyalty, Bravery, May
James Russell Lowell (1871). “The poetical works of James Russell Lowell”, p.431

Not as all other women are Is she that to my soul is dear; Her glorious fancies come from far, Beneath the silver evening star, And yet her heart is ever near.

James Russell Lowell
Life, Stars, Heart
James Russell Lowell (1871). “The poetical works of James Russell Lowell”, p.6

The riches of scholarship, the benignities of literature, defy fortune and outlive calamity. They are beyond the reach of thief or moth or rust. As they cannot be inherited, so they cannot, be alienated.

James Russell Lowell
Thieves, Rust, Literature
James Russell Lowell (1904). “The Complete Writings of James Russell Lowell: Literary and political addresses”

His heart kep' goin' pity-pat, But hern went pity-Zekle.

James Russell Lowell
Heart, Pity
James Russell Lowell (1871). “The poetical works of James Russell Lowell”, p.168

To win the secret of a weed's plain heart.

James Russell Lowell
Weed, Heart, Winning
James Russell Lowell (1871). “The poetical works of James Russell Lowell”, p.113

Better to me the poor mans crust, Better the blessing of the poor, Though I turn me empty from his door; That is no true alms which the hand can hold; He gives nothing but worthless gold Who gives from a sense of duty; But he who gives a slender mite, And gives to that which is out of sight, That thread of the all-sustaining Beauty Which runs through all and doth all unite, - The hand cannot clasp the whole of his alms, The heart outstretches its eager palms, For a god goes with it and makes it store To the soul that was starving in darkness before.

James Russell Lowell
Running, Heart, Blessing
James Russell Lowell, “The Vision Of Sir Launfal”

A marciful Providunce fashioned us holler O' purpose thet we might our principles swaller.

James Russell Lowell
Principles, Purpose, Might
James Russell Lowell (1859). “The Biglow papers”, p.68

You May Also Like: