O. Henry

O. Henry
William Sydney Porter, known by his pen name O. Henry, was an American short story writer. O. Henry's short stories are known for their wit, wordplay, warm characterization, and surprise endings...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth11 September 1862
CityGreensboro, NC
CountryUnited States of America
new-york littles old-new-york
It couldn't have happened anywhere but in little old New York.
writing
Write what you like; there is no other rule.
men cities flames
In the Big City a man will disappear with the suddenness and completeness of the flame of a candle that is blown out.
new-york ifs
It'll be a great place if they ever finish it.
encouragement sucess brilliant
All great men have declared that they owe their sucess to the aid and encouragement of some brilliant woman.
art one-love hard
When one loves one's Art no service seems too hard,
thanksgiving home self
There is one day that is ours. There is one day when all we Americans who are not self-made go back to the old home to eat saleratus biscuits and marvel how much nearer to the porch the old pump looks than it used to. Thanksgiving Day is the one day that is purely American.
reflection cities study
He studied cities as women study their reflections.
real writing thinking
Yes, I get dry spells. Sometimes I can't turn out a thing for three months. When one of those spells comes on I quit trying to work and go out and see something of life. You can't write a story that's got any life in it by sitting at a writing table and thinking. You've got to get out into the streets, into the crowds, talk with people, and feel the rush and throb of real life-that's the stimulant for a story writer.
mushrooms people bullets
I wanted to paint a picture some day that people would stand before and forget that it was made of paint. I wanted it to creep into them like a bar of music and mushroom there like a soft bullet.
yarn benches parks
There are stories in everything. I've got some of my best yarns from park benches, lampposts, and newspaper stands.
way turns
It ain't the roads we take; it's what's inside of us that makes us turn out the way we do.
pills stories sugar
A good story is like a bitter pill, with the sugar coating inside of it.
communication conversation dough
Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.