100+ Inspiring Quotes by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

100+ Inspiring Quotes by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, one of America’s most celebrated poets of the 19th century, has bequeathed us a treasure trove of quotes that resonate with inspiration and insight. His ability to capture the essence of the human condition through his poetic words has left a lasting impact on readers throughout the ages. Longfellow’s quotes reflect a deep understanding of life, love, and perseverance, making them not just relevant in his time, but also in our contemporary world. In this blog, we will explore over 100 of his most captivating quotes, illuminating the timeless wisdom they contain.

Here are 40 of the most famous quotes attributed to Longfellow:

• “The talent of success is nothing more than doing what you can do well, and doing well whatever you do.”
• “Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.”
• “The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.”
• “Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and oftentimes we call a man cold when he is only sad.”
• “Music is the universal language of mankind.”
• “Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.”
• “Into each life some rain must fall, some days must be dark and dreary.”
• “The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.”
• “The holiest of all holidays are those kept by ourselves in silence and apart; the secret anniversaries of the heart.”
• “It takes less time to do a thing right than it does to explain why you did it wrong.”
• “Silently, one by one, in the infinite meadows of heaven, blossomed the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots of the angels.”
• “Art is the child of Nature; yes, her darling child, in whom we trace the features of the mother’s face, her aspect and her attitude.”
• “In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity.”
• “For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is to let it rain.”
• “The talent of success is nothing more than doing what you can do, well.”
• “Lives of great men all remind us, we can make our lives sublime, and, departing, leave behind us, footprints on the sands of time.”
• “There is no grief like the grief that does not speak.”
• “The dawn is not distant, nor is the night starless; love is eternal.”
• “In this world, a man must either be anvil or hammer.”
• “All things must change to something new, to something strange.”
• “If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.”
• “The greatest firmness is the greatest mercy.”
• “The evening darkens over, and the night, the place of rest, is on the wakeful world.”
• “I shot an arrow into the air; it fell to earth, I knew not where.”
• “He that respects himself is safe from others; he wears a coat of mail that none can pierce.”
• “I do not believe anyone can be perfectly well, who has a brain and a heart.”
• “It is difficult to know at what moment love begins; it is less difficult to know that it has begun.”
• “The life of a man consists not in seeing visions and in dreaming dreams, but in active charity and in willing service.”
• “For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is to let it rain.”
• “We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done.”
• “It takes less time to do a thing right than it does to explain why you did it wrong.”
• “The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceeding small.”
• “Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small; though with patience He stands waiting, with exactness grinds He all.”
• “Love keeps the cold out better than a cloak.”
• “In the elder days of Art, builders wrought with greatest care each minute and unseen part; for the Gods see everywhere.”
• “In this world, a man must either be anvil or hammer.”
• “The talent of success is nothing more than doing what you can do, well.”
• “Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.”
• “In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity.”
• “We have not wings, we cannot soar; but we have feet to scale and climb, by slow degrees, by more and more, the cloudy summits of our time.”

Here are additional quotes that highlight Longfellow’s wisdom:

• “Look not mournfully into the past. It comes not back again. Wisely improve the present. It is thine. Go forth to meet the shadowy future, without fear, and with a manly heart.”
• “It is difficult to know at what moment love begins; it is less difficult to know that it has begun.”
• “In the elder days of Art, builders wrought with greatest care each minute and unseen part; for the Gods see everywhere.”
• “The talent of success is nothing more than doing what you can do well, and doing well whatever you do.”
• “Music is the universal language of mankind.”
• “He that respects himself is safe from others; he wears a coat of mail that none can pierce.”
• “We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done.”
• “For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is to let it rain.”
• “Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.”
• “Art is the child of Nature; yes, her darling child, in whom we trace the features of the mother’s face, her aspect and her attitude.”
• “Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.”
• “In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity.”
• “All things must change to something new, to something strange.”
• “Into each life some rain must fall, some days must be dark and dreary.”
• “The life of a man consists not in seeing visions and in dreaming dreams, but in active charity and in willing service.”
• “The holiest of all holidays are those kept by ourselves in silence and apart; the secret anniversaries of the heart.”
• “There is no grief like the grief that does not speak.”
• “The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceeding small.”
• “Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small; though with patience He stands waiting, with exactness grinds He all.”

These quotes encapsulate Longfellow’s profound understanding of human emotions, the passage of time, and the essence of existence itself. His words continue to inspire, uplift, and challenge readers across generations.

• “Believe me, every heart has its secret sorrows, which the world knows not, and oftentimes we call a man cold when he is only sad.”
• “If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.”
• “Lives of great men all remind us, we can make our lives sublime, and, departing, leave behind us, footprints on the sands of time.”
• “The evening darkens over, and the night, the place of rest, is on the wakeful world.”
• “I shot an arrow into the air; it fell to earth, I knew not where.”
• “The greatest firmness is the greatest mercy.”
• “I do not believe anyone can be perfectly well, who has a brain and a heart.”
• “There is no grief like the grief that does not speak.”
• “The dawn is not distant, nor is the night starless; love is eternal.”
• “Heaven is not reached at a single bound, but we build the ladder by which we rise from the lowly earth to the vaulted skies, and we mount to its summit round by round.”
• “In this world, a man must either be anvil or hammer.”
• “Let us, then, be up and doing, with a heart for any fate; still achieving, still pursuing, learn to labor and to wait.”
• “With silence only as their benediction, God’s angels come where in the shadow of a great affliction, the soul sits dumb.”
• “There are moments in life when the heart is so full of emotion that if by chance it be shaken, or into its depths like a pebble drops some careless word, it overflows, and its secret, spilt on the ground like water, can never be gathered together.”
• “We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done.”
• “He spake well who said that graves are the footprints of angels.”
• “Nothing is more beautiful than the loveliness of the woods before sunrise.”
• “All things must change to something new, to something strange.”
• “Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal; Dust thou art, to dust returnest, was not spoken of the soul.”
• “For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is to let it rain.”
• “With each returning season, the trees learn to bloom again, and so can we.”
• “There is no such thing as a self-made man. You will reach your goals only with the help of others.”
• “The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, and all the sweet serenity of books.”
• “Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, is our destined end or way; but to act, that each tomorrow find us farther than today.”
• “The tide rises, the tide falls, the twilight darkens, the curlew calls.”
• “In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity.”
• “The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.”
• “To be seventy years young is sometimes far more cheerful and hopeful than to be forty years old.”
• “Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.”
• “The talent of success is nothing more than doing what you can do well, and doing well whatever you do.”
• “Joy, temperance, and repose, slam the door on the doctor’s nose.”
• “The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.”
• “Great lives never go out; they go on.”
• “It is not always the same thing to be a good man and a good citizen.”
• “Let us, then, be up and doing, with a heart for any fate; still achieving, still pursuing, learn to labor and to wait.”
• “Believe me, every heart has its secret sorrows, which the world knows not, and oftentimes we call a man cold when he is only sad.”

These quotes capture the essence of Longfellow’s profound observations about life, love, and the human spirit. His words serve as a guiding light, offering wisdom and encouragement to all who encounter them, transcending time and inspiring countless generations.