Harvard Classics Quotes

“You must have lost your senses!” cried the mother. “What has become of the goat?” “Oh — oh — oh! I was so unlucky. I sold it for a twisted bun!” The moment he uttered the words he realized what it was to sell the goat for a bun; he had not thought about it before. The mother said, — “What do you imagine the little goat thinks of you now, since you were willing to sell it for a twisted bun?” The boy reflected upon this himself, and felt perfectly sure that he never could know happiness more in this world — nor in heaven either, he thought, afterwards. He was so overwhelmed with sorrow that he promised himself that he would never do anything wrong again”
― Charles W. Eliot, Delphi Complete Harvard Classics and Shelf of Fiction

“And on the roof was a little goat belonging to Oyvind; it was kept there that it might not wander away, and Oyvind bore leaves and grass up to it. One fine day the goat leaped down and was off to the cliff; it went straight up and soon stood where it had never been before. Oyvind did not see the goat when he came out in the afternoon, and thought at once of the fox.”
― Charles W. Eliot, Delphi Complete Harvard Classics and Shelf of Fiction

“Believe me, my friends, it is with talents as with virtue; one must love them for their own sake, or entirely renounce them. And neither of them is acknowledged and rewarded, except when their possessor can practise them unseen, like a dangerous secret.”
― Charles William Eliot, Harvard Classics: The Complete Fiction

“Human nature," I continued, "has its limits. It is able to endure a certain degree of joy, sorrow, and pain, but becomes annihilated as soon as this measure is exceeded. The question, therefore, is, not whether a man is strong or weak, but whether he is able to endure the measure of his sufferings. The suffering may be moral or physical; and in my opinion it is just as absurd to call a man a coward who destroys himself, as to call a man a coward who dies of a malignant fever.”
― Charles William Eliot, Harvard Classics: The Complete Fiction

“We should daily repeat to ourselves," I exclaimed, "that we should not interfere with our friends, unless to leave them in possession of their own joys, and increase their happiness by sharing it with them!”
― Charles William Eliot, Harvard Classics: The Complete Fiction

“As they say, the persons who hate Irishmen most are Irishmen; so, assuredly, the greatest tyrants over women are women.”
― Charles William Eliot, Harvard Classics: The Complete Fiction

“comfortable career of prosperity, if it does not make people honest, at least keeps them so. An alderman coming from a turtle feast will not step out of his carnage to steal a leg of mutton; but put him to starve, and see if he will not purloin a loaf. Becky”
― Charles William Eliot, Harvard Classics: The Complete Fiction

“Which of us is there can tell how much vanity lurks in our warmest regard for others, and how selfish our love is?”
― Charles William Eliot, Harvard Classics: The Complete Fiction

“Who has not seen how women bully women? What tortures have men to endure, comparable to those daily repeated shafts of scorn and cruelty with which poor women are riddled by the tyrants of their sex?”
― Charles William Eliot, Harvard Classics: The Complete Fiction

“wonder is it because men are cowards in heart that they admire bravery so much, and place military valour so far beyond every other quality for reward and worship?”
― Charles William Eliot, Harvard Classics: The Complete Fiction

“The wood I walk in on this mild May day, with the young yellow-brown foliage of the oaks between me and the blue sky, the white star-flowers and the blue-eyed speedwell and the ground ivy at my feet, what grove of tropic palms, what strange ferns or splendid broad-petalled blossoms, could ever thrill such deep and delicate fibres within me as this home scene? These familiar flowers, these well-remembered bird-notes, this sky, with its fitful brightness, these furrowed and grassy fields, each with a sort of personality given to it by the capricious hedgerows,–such things as these are the mother-tongue of our imagination, the language that is laden with all the subtle, inextricable associations the fleeting hours of our childhood left behind them. Our delight in the sunshine on the deep-bladed grass to-day might be no more than the faint perception of wearied souls, if it were not for the sunshine and the grass in the far-off years which still live in us, and transform our perception into love.”
― Charles W. Eliot, Harvard Classics

“I don’t want every one to like me; I should think less of myself if some people did.”
― Charles W. Eliot, Harvard Classics

“It was the tragic part of happiness; one’s right was always made of the wrong of some one else.”
― Charles W. Eliot, Harvard Classics

“I don’t think I know what you mean,” she said; “you use too many figures of speech; I could never understand allegories. The two words in the language I most respect are Yes and No.”
― Charles W. Eliot, Harvard Classics

“Men should be taught as if you taught them not, And things unknown propos’d as things forgot;”
― Charles W. Eliot, The Complete Harvard Classics Collection

“A burden becomes lightest when it is well borne—”
― Charles W. Eliot, The Complete Harvard Classics Collection

“Chr.: Apollyon, beware what you do, for I am in the King’s High-way, the way of Holiness, therefore take heed to yourself. Apol.: Then Apollyon straddled quite over the whole breadth of the way, and said, I am void of fear in this matter, prepare thyself to die; for I swear by my infernal Den, that thou shalt go no further; here will I spill thy soul. And with that he threw a flaming Dart at his breast, but Christian had a Shield in his hand, with which he caught it, and so prevented the danger of that. Christian wounded in his understanding, faith, and conversation Then did Christian draw, for he saw ’twas time to bestir him: and Apollyon as fast made at him, throwing Darts as thick as Hail; by the which, notwithstanding all that Christian could do to avoid it, Apollyon wounded him in his head, his hand, and foot: This made Christian give a little back; Apollyon therefore followed his work amain, and Christian again took courage, and resisted as manfully as he could. This sore Combat lasted for above half a day, even till Christian was almost quite spent; for you must know that Christian, by reason of his wounds, must needs grow weaker and weaker. Apollyon casteth down to the ground Christian Christian’s victory over Apollyon Then Apollyon espying his opportunity, began to gather up close to Christian, and wrestling with him, gave him a dreadful fall; and with that Christian’s Sword flew out of his hand. Then said Apollyon, I am sure of thee now: and with that he had almost pressed him to death, so that Christian began to despair of life: but as God would have it, while Apollyon was fetching of his last blow, thereby to make a full end of this good man, Christian nimbly stretched out his hand for his Sword, and caught it, saying, Rejoice not against me, O mine Enemy! when I fall I shall arise; and with that gave him a deadly thrust, which made him give back, as one that had received his mortal wound: Christian, perceiving that, made at him again, saying, Nay, in all these things we are more than Conquerors through him that loved us. And with that Apollyon spread forth his Dragon’s wings, and sped him away, that Christian for a season saw him no more.”
― Charles W. Eliot, The Complete Harvard Classics Collection

“Love naturally begins in secresy because it begins in shyness; but it must live openly because it lives in joy. It is as when the leaves are changing; that which is to grow cannot conceal itself, and in every instance you see that all which is dry falls from the tree the moment the new leaves begin to sprout.”
― Charles W. Eliot, Delphi Complete Harvard Classics and Shelf of Fiction

“Only half a word that is to the point can kindle laughter under such circumstances, and especially when it is dangerous to laugh.”
― Charles W. Eliot, Delphi Complete Harvard Classics and Shelf of Fiction

“For the fear of God in her mind is like water in a shallow pond: it is there when it rains, but it is gone when the sun shines.”
― Charles W. Eliot, Delphi Complete Harvard Classics and Shelf of Fiction

“But old age should not complain; for wisdom flows from wounds, and pain preaches patience, that man may grow strong enough for the last journey.”
― Charles W. Eliot, Delphi Complete Harvard Classics and Shelf of Fiction

“Oyvind was obliged to admit, as he laid himself down, that he had never gone to bed so happy before; he gave this an interpretation of his own, — he understood it to mean: I have never before gone to bed feeling so resigned to God’s will and so happy in it.”
― Charles W. Eliot, Delphi Complete Harvard Classics and Shelf of Fiction

“Is it — because I — am a houseman’s son that I only stand number nine or ten?” “No doubt that was it,” replied the school-master. “Then it is of no use for me to work,” said Oyvind, drearily, and all his bright dreams vanished. Suddenly he raised his head, lifted his right hand, and bringing it down on the table with all his might, flung himself forward on his face and burst into passionate tears.”
― Charles W. Eliot, Delphi Complete Harvard Classics and Shelf of Fiction

“Nor have you a child in the house any longer, either,” said the school-master. The mother knew what he meant. “Oyvind has not been happy of late,” said she. “Ah, no! he who is ambitious never is happy,” — and he gazed up with an old man’s calmness into God’s peaceful heavens above.”
― Charles W. Eliot, Delphi Complete Harvard Classics and Shelf of Fiction

“His father, as usual, did not have much to say to him;”
― Charles W. Eliot, Delphi Complete Harvard Classics and Shelf of Fiction

“On awaking Oyvind looked around to find them all gone; then he remembered the day before, and the burning, cruel pain in his heart began at once. “This, I shall never be rid of again,” thought he; and there came over him a feeling of indifference, as though his whole future had dropped away from him.”
― Charles W. Eliot, Delphi Complete Harvard Classics and Shelf of Fiction

“Now Hans, I will tell you why I have been so happy before: it was because I did not really love any one; from the day we love some one, we cease to be happy,” and he burst into tears.”
― Charles W. Eliot, Delphi Complete Harvard Classics and Shelf of Fiction

“Oyvind looked more and more intently, finally scanned himself also; he had had new trousers for Christmas, which he had taken much delight in, but now he saw that they were only gray wadmal; his jacket was of the same material, but old and dark; his vest, of checked homespun, was also old, and had two bright buttons and a black one. He glanced around him and it seemed to him that very few were so poorly clad as he”
― Charles W. Eliot, Delphi Complete Harvard Classics and Shelf of Fiction

“Then Marit laughed and said, — “He is the son of the houseman at Pladsen.” Oyvind had always known that he was a houseman’s son; but until now he had never realized it. It made him feel so very little, smaller than all the rest; in order to keep up he had to try and think of all that hitherto had made him happy and proud, from the coasting hill to each kind word. He thought, too, of his mother and his father, who were now sitting at home and thinking that he was having a good time, and he could scarcely hold back his tears”
― Charles W. Eliot, Delphi Complete Harvard Classics and Shelf of Fiction

“A HAPPY BOY” was written in 1859 and 1860. It is, in my estimation, Bjornson’s best story of peasant life. In it the author has succeeded in drawing the characters with remarkable distinctness, while his profound psychological insight, his perfectly artless simplicity of style, and his thorough sympathy with the hero and his surroundings are nowhere more apparent”
― Charles W. Eliot, Delphi Complete Harvard Classics and Shelf of Fiction