William Dean Howells
William Dean Howells
William Dean Howellswas an American realist novelist, literary critic, and playwright. Nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters", he was particularly known for his tenure as editor of The Atlantic Monthly as well as his own prolific writings, including the Christmas story "Christmas Every Day", and the novels The Rise of Silas Lapham and A Traveler from Altruria...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionAuthor
Date of Birth1 March 1837
CountryUnited States of America
hope doors expectations
It is the curse of prosperity that it takes work away from us, and shuts that door to hope and health of spirit.
heart evil wicked
Lord, for the erring thoughtNot into evil wrought:Lord, for the wicked willBetrayed and baffled still:For the heart from itself kept,Our thanksgiving accept.
confusion achievement today
See how today's achievement is only tomorrow's confusion;See how possession always cheapens the thing that was precious.
art mean ugly
By beauty of course I mean truth, for the one involves the other; it is only the false in art which is ugly, and it is only the ugly that is universal.
people despise
People naturally despise a dependant.
quality mere knows
A friend knows how to allow for mere quantity in your talk, and only replies to the quality.
betrayed presses ifs
If ever the public was betrayed by its press, it's ours.
gratitude pain prayer
Lord, for the erring thought Not unto evil wrought: Lord, for the wicked will Betrayed, and baffled still: For the heart from itself kept, Our thanksgiving accept. For ignorant hopes that were Broken to our blind prayer: For pain, death, sorrow, sent Unto our chastisement: For all loss of seeming good, Quicken our gratitude.
giving water cups
The disposition to give a cup of cold water to a disciple is a far nobler property than the finest intellect. Satan has a fine intellect, but not the image of God.
slavery wrecks growing
The wrecks of slavery are fast growing a fungus crop of sentiment.
spring mean artist
n artistic atmosphere does not create artists a literary atmosphere does not create literators; poets and painters spring up where there was never a verse made or a picture seen. This suggests that God is no more idle now than He was at the beginning, but that He is still and forever shaping the human chaos into the instruments and means of beauty.
war degrees doe
Christ and the life of Christ is at this moment inspiring the literature of the world as never before, and raising it up a witness against waste and want and war. It may confess Him, as in Tolstoi's work it does, or it may deny Him, but it cannot exclude Him; and in the degree that it ignores His spirit, modern literature is artistically inferior. In other words, all good literature is now Christmas literature.
self fame interest
The difficulty is to know conscience from self-interest.
heart liberty inequality
Inequality is as dear to the American heart as liberty itself.