Best 126 quotes of Henry Van Dyke on MyQuotes

A clean and sensitive conscience, a steady and scrupulous integrity in small things as well as large, is the most valuable of all possessions, to a nation as to an individual.

A flawless cup: how delicate and fine The flowing curve of every jewelled line! Look, turn it up or down, 'tis perfect still-- But holds no drop of life's heart-warming wine.

A friend is what the heart needs all the time.

A little while the rose, And after that the thorn; An hour of dewy morn, And then the glamour goes. Ah, love in beauty born, A little while the rose!

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.

And you will remember that love is not getting, but giving; not a wild dream of pleasure, and a madness of desire — oh no, love is not that — it is goodness, and honour, and peace, and pure living — yes, love is that; and it is the best thing in the world, and the thing that lives longest.

A peaceful man must fight For that which peace demands,— Freedom and faith, honor and right, Defend with heart and hands.

A peace that depends on fear is nothing but a suppressed war.

Are you willing to forget what you have done for other people, and to remember what other people have done for you ... to remember the weakness and loneliness of people who are growing old ... Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest ting in the world ... stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death... Then you can keep Christmas! But you can never keep it alone.

A river is the most human and companionable of all inanimate things. It has a life, a character, a voice of its own; and it is as full of good fellowship as a sugar maple is of sap. It can talk in various tones, loud or low, and of many subjects grave and gay.... For real company and friendship there is nothing, outside of the animal kingdom, that is comparable to a river.

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

A tear that trembles for a little while Upon the trembling eyelid, till the world Wavers within its circle like a dream, Holds more of meaning in its narrow orb Than all the distant landscape that it blurs.

Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love, to work, to play, and to look up at the stars.

be glαd of life, becαuse it gives you the chαnce to love αnd to work αnd to plαy αnd to look up αt the stαrs; to be sαtisfied with your posessions, to despise nothing in the world except fαlsehood αnd meαnness αnd to feαr nothing except cowαrdice; to be governed by your αdmirαtions rαther thαn by your disgusts, to covet nothing thαt is your neighbour's except his kindness of heαrt αnd gentleness of mαnners; to think seldom of your enemies, often of your friends and to spend αs much time αs you cαn with body αnd with spirit.

Be grateful for the tiny details of your life and make room for unexpected and beautiful blessings.

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

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

Come, my friend, forget your foes, and leave your fears behind, And wander forth to try your luck, with cheerful, quiet mind; For be your fortune great or small, you take what God will give, And all the day your heart will say, "'Tis luck enough to live.

Count not the cost of honour to the dead!The tribute that a mighty nation paysTo those who loved her well in former daysMeans more than gratitude for glories fled;For every noble man that she hath bred,Lives in the bronze and marble that we raise,Immortalised by art's immortal praise,To lead our sons as he our fathers led.

Courage is the standing army of the soul which keeps it from conquest, pillage, and slavery.

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

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.

Even if we should find another Eden, we would not be fit to enjoy it perfectly nor stay in it forever.

Every country-or at least every country that is fit for habitation-has its own rivers; and every river has its own quality; and it is the part of wisdom to know and love as many as you can, seeing each in the fairest possible light, and receiving from each the best that it has to give.

Every house where love abides And friendship is a guest, Is surely home, and home sweet home For there the heart can rest.

Faith is an adventure; it is the courage of the soul to face the unknown. But that courage springs from the hope and confidence of the soul that its adventure will succeed.

Favorite People, Favorite Places, Favorite Memories of the past ... These are the joys of a lifetime Those are the things that last

Fidelity is simply daring to be true in small things as well as great.

Flowers rejoice when night is done, Lift their heads to greet the sun; Sweetest looks and odours raise, In a silent hymn of praise.

For ever so our thoughtful hearts repeatOn fields of triumph dirges of defeat;And still we turn on gala-days to treadAmong the rustling memories of the dead.

For real company and friendship, there is nothing outside the animal kingdom that is comparable to a river.

For those who love... time is eternity.

Four things a man must learn to do If he would make his record true; To think without confusion clearly; To love his fellowmen sincerely; To act from honest motives purely; To trust in God and Heav'n securely.

Genius is talent set on fire by courage.

Gratitude is a two fold love - love coming to visit us, and love running out to greet a welcome guest.

Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.

Half of the secular unrest and dismal, profane sadness of modern society comes from the vain ideas that every man is bound to be a critic for life.

Happiness is inward, and not outward; and so, it does not depend on what we have, but on what we are.

Heaven is blest with perfect rest, but the blessing of Earth is toil.

He that planteth a tree is a servant of God, He provideth a kindness for many generations, And faces that he hath not seen shall bless him.

Hours fly, Flowers die: New days, New ways: Pass by! Love stays.

How fascinating is death, the extinction of life. One moment here and the next gone. The light put out and only the empty bag of the body left.

Hymns of today that may be sung by people who know the thought of the age...are not afraid that any truth of science will destroy Christianity, or any revolution will overthrow the Kingdom of Heaven.

If all the skies were sunshine Our faces would be fain To feel once more upon them The cooling splash of rain. If all the world were music, Our hearts would often long For one sweet strain of silence, To break the endless song If life were always merry, Our souls would seek relief, And rest from weary laughter In the quiet arms of grief.

If all the world were music, Our hearts would often long For one sweet strain of silence. To break the endless song.

I heard through the nightThe rush and the clamour;The pulse of the fightLike blows of Thor's hammer;The pattering flightOf the leaves, and the anguishedMoan of the forest vanquished.

I know that Europe's wonderful, yet something seems to lack;The Past is too much with her, and the people looking back.

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

In love and friendship, small, steady payments on a gold basis are better than immense promissory notes.

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