The only reason for the existence of a novel is that it does attempt to represent life. Henry James More Quotes by Henry James More Quotes From Henry James It is indeed immensely picturesque. I can fancy sitting all a summer's day watching its shadows shorten and lengthen again, and drawing a delicious contrast between the world's duration and the feeble span of individual experience. There is something in Stonehenge almost reassuring; and if you are disposed to feel that life is rather a superficial matter, and that we soon get to the bottom of things, the immemorial gray pillars may serve to remind you of the enormous background of time. Henry James drawingshadowsummer Her chief dread in life, at this period of her development, was that she would appear narrow minded; what she feared next afterwards was that she should be so. Henry James nextdevelopmentshould We trust to novels to train us in the practice of great indignations and great generosity. Henry James generositynovelpractice do you think it is better to be clever than to be good?” “Good for what?” asked the Doctor. “You are good for nothing unless you are clever. Henry James doctorscleverthinking That accurst autobiographic form which puts a premium on the loose, the improvised, the cheap, and the easy. Henry James craftsformeasy The "germ," wherever gathered, has ever been for me, "the germ of a story," and most of the stories strained to shape under my hand have sprung from a single small seed, a seed as remote and windblown as a casual hint. Henry James hintsstorieshands Nothing, of course, will ever take the place of the good old fashion of 'liking' a work of art or not liking it; the more improved criticism will not abolish that primitive, that ultimate, test. Henry James fashioncriticismart She had always been fond of history, and here [in Rome] was history in the stones of the street and the atoms of the sunshine. Henry James atomsromesunshine There were always people to snatch at you, and it would never occur to them that they were eating you up. They did that without tasting. Henry James tastingeatingpeople Art derives a considerable part of its beneficial exercise from flying in the face of presumptions. Henry James flyingexerciseart It is art that makes life, makes interest, makes importance and I know of no substitute whatever for the force and beauty of its process. Henry James It is, I think, an indisputable fact that Americans are, as Americans, the most self- conscious people in the world, and the most addicted to the belief that the other nations are in a conspiracy to under-value them. Henry James Live all you can - it's a mistake not to. It doesn't so much matter what you do in particular, so long as you have your life. If you haven't had that, what have you had Henry James She had an unequalled gift... of squeezing big mistakes into small opportunities. Henry James Summer afternoon - Summer afternoon... the two most beautiful words in the English language. Henry James The power to guess the unseen from the seen, to trace the implications of things, to judge the whole piece by the pattern, the condition of feeling life in general so completely that you are well on your way to knowing any particular corner of it --this cluster of gifts may almost be said to constitute experience. Henry James There are three things that are important in human life. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. The third is to be kind. Henry James I've always been interested in people, but I've never liked them. Henry James beenneveralwayspeople
