James Whitcomb Riley > Quotes

“I bless the hoss from hoof to head -
From head to hoof, and tale to mane! -
I bless the hoss, as I have said,
From head to hoof, and back again!
”
― James Whitcomb Riley

“A Parting Guest

What delightful hosts are they—
Life and Love!
Lingeringly I turn away,
This late hour, yet glad enough
They have not withheld from me
Their high hospitality.
So, with face lit with delight
And all gratitude, I stay
Yet to press their hands and say,
Thanks.—So fine a time! Good night.”
― James Whitcomb Riley

“I so ill deserve the place his arms make for me.”
― James Whitcomb Riley

“He Is Not Dead

I cannot say, and I will not say
That he is dead. He is just away.
With a cheery smile, and a wave of the hand,
He has wandered into an unknown land
And left us dreaming how very fair
It needs must be, since he lingers there.
And you—oh you, who the wildest yearn
For an old-time step, and the glad return,
Think of him faring on, as dear
In the love of There as the love of Here.
Think of him still as the same. I say,
He is not dead—he is just away.”
― James Whitcomb Riley

“To all the little children:- The happy ones; and sad ones; the boisterous ones and glad ones; The good ones- Yes, the good ones, too; and all the lovely bad ones.”
― James Whitcomb Riley, Little Orphant Annie and Other Poems

“In fact, to speak in earnest, I believe it adds a charm
To spice the good a trifle with a little dust of harm”
― James Whitcomb Riley, An Old Sweetheart of Mine