Not very long ago some one invented the assertion that there were only "Four Hundred" people in New York City who were really worth noticing. But a wiser man has arisen - the census taker - and his larger estimate of human interest has been preferred in marking out the field of these little stories of the "Four Million.

O. Henry

Categorized in : Men New York Long Ago

The true adventurer goes forth aimless and uncalculating to meet... by O. Henry

The true adventurer goes forth aimless and uncalculating to meet and greet unknown fate.

fate-and-destiny fate adventure

We can't buy one minute of time with cash; if we could, rich peop... by O. Henry

We can't buy one minute of time with cash; if we could, rich people would live longer.

rich cash people

It ain't the roads we take; it's what's inside of us that makes u... by O. Henry

It ain't the roads we take; it's what's inside of us that makes us turn out the way we do.

turns way

If a person has lived through war, poverty and love, he has lived... by O. Henry

If a person has lived through war, poverty and love, he has lived a full life

poverty and-love war

Fortune is a prize to be won. Adventure is the road to it. Chance is what may lurk in the shadows at the roadside.

shadow may adventure

Each of us, when our day's work is done, must seek our ideal, whether it be love or pinochle or lobster à la Newburg, or the sweet silence of the musty bookshelves.

silence sweet lobster

No friendship is an accident. by O. Henry

No friendship is an accident.

funny-best-friend inspiring friendship

Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of... by O. Henry

Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.

dough communication conversation

There is one day that is ours. Thanksgiving Day is the one day th... by O. Henry

There is one day that is ours. Thanksgiving Day is the one day that is purely American.

biscuits thanksgiving one-day

I've got some of my best yarns from park benches, lamp posts and... by O. Henry

I've got some of my best yarns from park benches, lamp posts and newspaper stands.

yarn stories writing

I'll give you the whole secret to short story writing. Here it is. Rule 1: Write stories that please yourself. There is no Rule 2.

secret writing giving

A good story is like a bitter pill, with the sugar coating inside... by O. Henry

A good story is like a bitter pill, with the sugar coating inside of it.

sugar-coating pills stories

Life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles pred... by O. Henry

Life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.

adversity pet life

You can't appreciate home till you've left it, money till it's spent, your wife till she's joined a woman's club, nor Old Glory till you see it hanging on a broomstick on the shanty of a consul in a foreign town.

old-glory home appreciation

It was beautiful and simple, as truly great swindles are. by O. Henry

It was beautiful and simple, as truly great swindles are.

business simple beautiful

Turn up the lights. I don't want to go home in the dark. by O. Henry

Turn up the lights. I don't want to go home in the dark.

light dark home

To a woman nothing seems quite impossible to the powers of the ma... by O. Henry

To a woman nothing seems quite impossible to the powers of the man she worships.

worship impossible men

I wanted to paint a picture some day that people would stand before and forget that it was made of paint. I wanted it to creep into them like a bar of music and mushroom there like a soft bullet.

bars mushrooms people

Write what you like; there is no other rule. by O. Henry

Write what you like; there is no other rule.

writing

All of us have to be prevaricators, hypocrites, and liars every day of our lives; otherwise the social structure would fall into pieces the first day. We must act in one another's presence just as we must wear clothes. It is for the best

hypocrite liars fall