Christian Nestell Bovee
Christian Nestell Bovee
Christian Nestell Boveewas an epigrammatic New York writer. He was born in New York City...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionAuthor
CountryUnited States of America
humility proud would-be
Some one called Sir Richard Steele the "vilest of mankind," and he retorted with proud humility, "It would be a glorious world if I were.
character chinese imitation
No single character is ever so great that a nation can afford to form itself upon it. Imitation belittles. This appears in the instance of the Chinese. The Chinese are so many Confucii; in miniature. And so with the Jews. Moses, the lawgiver, is poorly represented by Moses, the old clothesman ; or even by Dives, the hanker.
talking wells depends
Whether one talks well depends very much upon whom he has to talk to.
pain children real
We may learn from children how large a part of our grievances is imaginary. But the pain is just as real.
evening action muse
We should round every day of stirring action with an evening of thought. We learn nothing of our experience except we muse upon it.
goodness cheerfulness
Cheerfulness is an offshoot of goodness and of wisdom.
bows ceremony
There are ceremonious bows that repel one like a cudgel.
progress prejudice obstacles
The great obstacle to progress is prejudice
character tape noses
The scope of an intellect is not to be measured with a tape-string, or a character deciphered from the shape or length of a nose.
men beast communicate
There is, indeed, no wild beast more to be dreaded than a communicative man having nothing to communicate.
new-york men thinking
There is nothing," says a correspondent of the New York Times, "which the business world discards as unpractical and useless so much as the quiet, thinking scholar. But this is the man who makes revolutions. Politicians are mere puppets in the hands of men of thought.
beautiful skulls may
Melancholy sees the worst of things, things as they may be, and not as they are. It looks upon a beautiful face, and sees but a grinning skull.
character sleep political
Out of politics comes more uproar than progress. It is indeed surprising how little, comparatively, this noisy department of human affairs contributes to the world's prosperity. Political commotions upon the grandest scale, political events of astounding suddenness, political characters of the greatest ability, abound, but still, permanent results are rare, and we look in vain for a measure of public good corresponding in extent to the hideous rout which ushers it in. Progress but turns upon its pillow, and goes to sleep again.
strong honesty greatness
The first step toward greatness is to be honest, says the proverb; but the proverb fails to state the case strong enough. Honesty is not only "the first step toward greatness," it is greatness itself.