If you would understand your own age, read the works of fiction produced in it. People in disguise speak freely. Arthur Helps More Quotes by Arthur Helps More Quotes From Arthur Helps You cannot ensure the gratitude of others for a favour conferred upon them in the way which is most agreeable to yourself. Arthur Helps favour gratitude way He who is continually changing his point of view sees more, and more clearly, than one who, statue-like, forever stands upon the same pedestal; however lofty and well-placed that pedestal may be. Arthur Helps pedestal views forever War may be the game of kings, but, like the games at ancient Rome, it is generally exhibited to please and pacify the people. Arthur Helps rome kings war We are pleased with one who instantly assents to our opinions, but we love a proselyte. Arthur Helps argument opinion No man who has not sat in the assemblies of men can know the light, odd and uncertain ways in which decisions are often arrived at. Arthur Helps light decision men Selfishness, when it is punished by the world, is mostly punished because it is connected with egotism. Arthur Helps selfishness ego world No man has ever praised to persons equally-and pleased them both. Arthur Helps persons praise men Is boredom anything less than the sense of one's faculties slowly dying? Arthur Helps dying-slowly faculty boredom A man's action is only a picture book of his creed. Arthur Helps action men book Pride, if not the origin, is the medium of all wickedness-the atmosphere without which it would instantly die away. Arthur Helps wickedness atmosphere pride Tolerance is the only real test of civilization. Arthur Helps tolerance real civilization People resemble still more the time in which they live, than they resemble their fathers. Arthur Helps time father people Do not shun this maxim because it is common-place. On the contrary, take the closest heed of what observant men, who would probably like to show originality, are yet constrained to repeat. Therein lies the marrow of the wisdom of the world. Arthur Helps men lying world Almost all human affairs are tedious. Everything is too long. Visits, dinners, concerts, plays, speeches, pleadings, essays, sermons, are too long. Pleasure and business labor equally under this defect, or, as I should rather say, this fatal super-abundance. Arthur Helps play time long Nature intended you to be the fountain-spring of cheerfulness and social life, and not the mountain of despair and melancholy. Arthur Helps mountain despair spring Remember that in giving any reason at all for refusing, you lay some foundation for a future request. Arthur Helps foundation simplicity giving It is quite impossible to understand the character of a person from one action, however striking that action may be. Arthur Helps action may character Entrust a secret to one whose importance will not be much increased by divulging it. Arthur Helps importance secret A great many wise sayings have been uttered about the effects of solitary retirement; but the motives which impel men to seek it are not more various than the effects which it produces on different individuals. One thing is certain, that those who can with truth affirm that they are "never less alone than when alone," might generally add that they never feel more lonely than when not alone. Arthur Helps lonely wise retirement Those who are successfully to lead their fellow-men, should have once possessed the nobler feelings. We have all known individuals whose magnanimity was not likely to be troublesome on any occasion; but then they betrayed their own interests by unwisely omitting the consideration, that such feelings might exist in the breasts of those whom they had to guide and govern: for they themselves cannot even remember the time when in their eyes justice appeared preferable to expediency, the happiness of others to self-interest, or the welfare of a State to the advancement of a party. Arthur Helps party eye leadership
