Nathaniel Hawthorne Quotes

Words – so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.

No man can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true.

A pure hand needs no glove to cover it!

Happiness is not within us, it is not in becoming something that we are not.

Every individual has a place to fill in the world and is important in some respect, whether he chooses to be so or not.

We dream in our waking moments, and walk in our sleep.

No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true.

It contributes greatly towards a man’s moral and intellectual health to be brought into habits of companionship with individuals unlike himself, who care little for his pursuits, and whose sphere and abilities he must go out of himself to appreciate.

The greatest obstacle to being heroic is the doubt whether one may not be going to prove one’s self a fool; the truest heroism is to resist the doubt; and the profoundest wisdom, to know when it ought to be resisted, and when to be obeyed.

What other dungeon is so dark as one’s own heart! What jailer so inexorable as one’s self!

I have laughed, in bitterness and agony of heart, at the contrast between what I seem and what I am!

Nathaniel Hawthorne Quotes part 2

The only sensible ends of literature are, first, the pleasurable toil of writing; second, the gratification of one’s family and friends; and lastly, the solid cash.

It is a good lesson – though it may often be a hard one – for a man who has dreamed of literary fame, and of making for himself a rank among the world’s dignitaries by such means, to step aside out of the narrow circle in which his claims are recognized and to find how utterly devoid of importance, beyond that circle, is all that he achieves, and all he aims at.

It is a curious subject of observation and inquiry, whether hatred and love be not the same thing at bottom. Each, in its utmost development, supposes a high degree of intimacy and heart-knowledge; each renders one individual dependent for the food of his affections and spiritual life upon another; each leaves the passionate lover, or the no less passionate hater, forlorn and desolate by the withdrawal of his object.

Men seek to evade the moral law in order to escape despair, but they ought rather to seek despair in order to find the moral law.

No man, for any considerable time, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true.

The only sensible ends of literature are: first, the pleasurable toil of writing second, the gratification of one’s family and friends and lastly, the solid cash.

Nobody, I think, ought to read poetry, or look at pictures or statues, who cannot find a great deal more in them than the poet or artist has actually expressed. Their highest merit is suggestiveness.

I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.

In every good man there is a temple of his soul, and in his soul there is a lamp that sheds a light on the world – it is the hero.

A low and gentle breath of wind came from the eastward, and inclined the flame of his lamp, so that a multitude of long shadows danced upon the wall.

I want to crack open the moon and find a great secret inside. I want to visit the stars and swim in their shining light.

Dreams are like beautiful illusions, but they hold a powerful truth within their depths.

The world is full of darkness and light, and it is up to us to choose which path to follow.

In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.

A tale is like a drop of honey; it goes down sweet but leaves a bitter aftertaste.

The rose has thorns only for those who dare to pluck it.

Sometimes the greatest battles are fought within our own souls.

The truest heroes are not those who possess great strength or power, but those who show kindness and compassion in the face of adversity.

There is a power in words that can change the world, if only we have the courage to speak them.

Love is like a delicate flower, it requires care and nurturing to bloom.

We are all haunted by the shadows of our past, but it is up to us to choose whether to let them define us or to move towards the light.

The greatest stories are those that teach us something about ourselves and the world around us.

Every act of kindness, no matter how small, has the power to change someone’s life.

In the darkest of times, hope is the guiding light that leads us through.

We are all connected, like threads in a tapestry, and our actions have far-reaching consequences.

Life is a journey, not a destination, and it is up to us to make the most of every step along the way.

The beauty of nature is a reflection of the beauty within ourselves.

The scars we carry are a testament to our strength and resilience.

Success is not measured by the wealth we accumulate, but by the lives we touch and the difference we make in the world.

The greatest gift we can give to ourselves and others is the gift of forgiveness.

Life is a balancing act, and it is up to us to find harmony in the chaos.

In a world filled with darkness, be the light that shines bright.

The path to true happiness is not found in the pursuit of wealth or fame, but in the pursuit of meaning and purpose.

It is in our moments of darkness that we discover our true strength.