History is worth reading when it tells us truly what the attitude toward life was in the past. Dorothy Canfield Fisher More Quotes by Dorothy Canfield Fisher More Quotes From Dorothy Canfield Fisher There is no human relationship more intimate than that of nurse and patient, one in which the essentials of character are more rawly revealed. Dorothy Canfield Fisher essentialsnursecharacter Everyone bowed to that unwritten law of family life which ordains that, in the long run, everyone submerges his personal preference in the effort to conform to that of the member of the circle who complains most loudly and is most difficult to satisfy. Dorothy Canfield Fisher familylawrunning What is life, but one long risk? Dorothy Canfield Fisher what-is-liferisklong Never since the dawn of human history, as far as I can find out, did people long settled in any region give a friendly welcome to newcomers. One of the disagreeable traits of our human nature seems to be to dislike on sight people who come later than the first settlers. Dorothy Canfield Fisher sightlongpeople I never heard of anybody who admired the character of sheep. Even the gentlest human personalities in contact with them are annoyed by their lack of brains, courage and initiative, by their extraordinary ability to get themselves into uncomfortable or dangerous situations and then wait in inert helplessness for someone to rescue them. Dorothy Canfield Fisher dangerous-situationssheepcharacter one reason we haven't any national art is because we have too much magnificence. All our capacity for admiration is used up on the splendor of palace-like railway stations and hotels. Our national tympanum is so deafened by that blare of sumptuousness that we have no ears for the still, small voice of beauty. Dorothy Canfield Fisher voicebeautyart The richness and endless variety of human relationships ... that's what authors, even the finest and greatest, only succeed in hinting at. It's a hopeless business, like trying to dip up the ocean with a tea-spoon. Dorothy Canfield Fisher oceanteatrying Taking somebody's sacrifices is like taking counterfeit money. You're only the poorer. Dorothy Canfield Fisher counterfeit-moneycounterfeitsacrifice Vermont tradition is based on the idea that group life should leave each person as free as possible to arrange his own life. This freedom is the only climate in which (we feel) a human being may create his own happiness. ... Character itself lies deep and secret below the surface, unknown and unknowable by others. It is the mysterious core of life, which every man or woman has to cope with alone, to live with, to conquer and put in order, or to be defeated by. Dorothy Canfield Fisher charactermenlying Father sticks to it that anything that promises to pay too much can't help being risky. Dorothy Canfield Fisher payfatherpromise I've always noticed that nobody can be single-minded who isn't narrow-minded; and I think it likely that people who aren't so cocksure what they want to do with themselves, hesitate because they have a great deal more to deal with. A nature rich in fine and complex possibilities takes more time to dispose of itself, but when it does, the world's beauty is the gainer. Dorothy Canfield Fisher doepeoplethinking On New Year's Day every calendar, large and small, has the same number of dates. But we soon learn that the years are of very different lengths. Dorothy Canfield Fisher new-yearnumbersyears the encounter with death is the great turning-point in the lives of those who live on. Dorothy Canfield Fisher turning-pointsencounters The teachers of small children are paid more than they were, but still far less than the importance of their work deserves, and they are still regarded by the unenlightened majority as insignificant compared to those who impart information to older children and adolescents, a class of pupils which, in the nature of things, is vastly more able to protect its own individuality from the character of the teacher. Dorothy Canfield Fisher educationteacherchildren I'm as fixed in my opinion as the man who thought he was a hard-boiled egg. Dorothy Canfield Fisher opinioneggsmen What better can any of us do than to reach for our own stars ... and know which they are? Dorothy Canfield Fisher starsambitionknows There's no healthy life possible without some sensual feeling between the husband and wife, but there's nothing in the world more awful than married life when it's the only common ground. Dorothy Canfield Fisher wifehusbandsex Oh, yes, of course I like music, too. Very much. It's so pleasant of an evening, especially when made by your friends at home. I often say I like it better than cards. Though I must say I do like a good game of bridge. Dorothy Canfield Fisher musicgameshome Professional psychologists seem to think that they are the only people who make sense out of human actions. The rest of us know that everybody tries to do just this. What else is gossip? Dorothy Canfield Fisher gossippeoplethinking Life takes hold of us with strong hands and makes us greater than we thought. Dorothy Canfield Fisher strong-handsstronghands
