Inspirational Quotes on Life

“The truest view of life has always seemed to me to be that which shows that we are here not to enjoy, but to learn.”

“It is more true to say that our opinions depend upon our lives and habits, than to say that our lives and habits depend on our opinions.”

“The deep undertone of the world is sadness - a solemn bass, occurring at measured intervals and heard through all other tones. Ultimately, all the strains of this world's music resolve themselves into that tone; and I believe that, rightly felt, the cross, and the cross alone, interprets the mournful mystery of life, the sorrow of the Highest - the Lord of Life, the result of error and sin, but ultimately remedial, purifying and exalting.”

“It seems, in fact, as though the second half of a man's life is made up of nothing, but the habits he has accumulated during the first half.”

“Man is an exception, whatever else he is. If he is not the image of God, then he is a disease of the dust. If it is not true that a divine being fell, then we can only say that one of the animals went entirely off its head.”

“Whatever else may be said of man, this one thing is clear: He is not what he is capable of being.”

“The world will never starve for want of wonders, but only for want of wonder.”

“Gullibility is the key to all adventures. The greenhorn is the ultimate victor in everything; it is he that gets the most out of life.”

“I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act.”

“It is not funny that anything else should fall down; only that a man should fall down. Why do we laugh? Because it is a gravely religious matter: it is the Fall of Man. Only man can be absurd: for only man can be dignified.”

“Journalism is popular, but it is popular mainly as fiction. Life is one world, and life seen in the newspapers is another.”

“Journalism largely consists of saying "Lord Jones is Dead" to people who never knew that Lord Jones was alive.”

“Men always talk about the most important things to perfect strangers. In the perfect stranger we perceive man himself; the image of a God is not disguised by resemblances to an uncle or doubts of wisdom of a mustache.”

“New roads; new ruts.”

“Nothing is poetical if plain daylight is not poetical; and no monster should amaze us if the normal man does not amaze.”

“Some men never feel small, but these are the few men who are.”

“The aim of life is appreciation; there is no sense in not appreciating things; and there is no sense in having more of them if you have less appreciation of them.”

“The ordinary scientific man is strictly a sentimentalist. He is a sentimentalist in this essential sense, that he is soaked and swept away by mere associations.”

“The perplexity of life arises from there being too many interesting things in it for us to be interested properly in any of them.”

“The true object of all human life is play. Earth is a task garden; heaven is a playground.”