He felt the old bitterness, which he had tried so hard to swallow, rise again in his throat, and he knew there are disappointments that last as long as life.
Henry James
Lingering Bitterness, Life Disappointments, Emotional Burden, Inner Struggle, Long-Lasting Pain, Personal Reflection
Henry James’s Quotes On Topics
Storybook | Betrayal | Quiet Dialogue | Emotional Torment | Learning | Final Goodbye | Cleverness | Joy | Subtle Memories | Leisure Ritual | Seriousness | Intellectual Aura | Time Perception | Social Disparities | Foolish Behaviors | Decision | Self-Perspective | Melancholy | Life Resignation | Gender Differences | More
More Henry James Quotes
“I’ll piously gather up the crumbs of your feasts and make a meal of them,” said Nora. “I’ll let you know how they taste.” Henry James
Hidden Meaning, Observation, Satisfaction, Criticism, Morsels, Commentary
Henry James Hidden Meaning, Observation, Satisfaction, Criticism, Morsels, Commentary“It’s beyond everything. Nothing at all that I know touches it.” Henry James
Transcendence, Infinite, Beyond, Touch, Knowledge, Everything
Henry James Transcendence, Infinite, Beyond, Touch, Knowledge, Everything“And to ply them with that evil still, to keep up the work of demons, is what brings the others back.” Henry James
Demonic Work, Persistent Evil, Haunting Actions, Malevolent Forces, Sinister Influence, Moral Conflict
Henry James Demonic Work, Persistent Evil, Haunting Actions, Malevolent Forces, Sinister Influence, Moral Conflict“Make (the reader) think the evil, make him think it for himself, and you are released from weak specifications. My values are positively all blanks, save so far as an excited horror, a promoted pity, a created expertness... proceed to read into them more or less fantastic figures.” Henry James
Reader, Evil, Speculation, Values, Horror, Imagination
Henry James Reader, Evil, Speculation, Values, Horror, Imagination“All these people – the people of the English mother’s side – had been of condition more or less eminent; yet with oddities and disparities that had often since made Maria, thinking them over, wonder what they really quite rhymed to.” Henry James
Family Oddities, English Heritage, Reflective Thought, Social Disparities, Personal Wonder, Lineage Reflection
Henry James Family Oddities, English Heritage, Reflective Thought, Social Disparities, Personal Wonder, Lineage Reflection“Writing is not primarily escape, but use.” Henry James
Purposeful Writing, Creative Utility, Writing, Purposeful, Utility, Creative
Henry James Purposeful Writing, Creative Utility, Writing, Purposeful, Utility, Creative“But she had after all a better reason for coming to Rome than that she cared for it so little. Her friend easily recognized it, and with it the worth of the other’s fidelity. She had crossed the stormy ocean in midwinter because she had guessed that Isabel was sad.” Henry James
Loyal Friendship, Emotional Support, Rome Visit, Stormy Journey, Caring Fidelity, Winter Sadness
Henry James Loyal Friendship, Emotional Support, Rome Visit, Stormy Journey, Caring Fidelity, Winter Sadness“How can I retrace to-day the strange steps of my obsession?” Henry James
Obsession, Steps, Retracing, Strangeness, Memory, Journey
Henry James Obsession, Steps, Retracing, Strangeness, Memory, Journey“The strangest thing of all for Milly was perhaps the uplifted assurance and indifference with which she could simply give back the particular bland stare that appeared in such cases to mark civilisation at its highest.” Henry James
Indifference, Civilization, Society, Critique, Expression, Awareness
Henry James Indifference, Civilization, Society, Critique, Expression, Awareness“You see, people forget you.” Henry James
Forgetfulness, Insignificance, Presence, Absence, Memory, Neglect
Henry James Forgetfulness, Insignificance, Presence, Absence, Memory, Neglect“Try to be one of the people on whom nothing is lost!” Henry James
Awareness, Learning, Growth, Experience, Attention, Value
Henry James Awareness, Learning, Growth, Experience, Attention, Value“There was nothing in the room the next minute but the sunshine and a sense that I must stay.” Henry James
Peace, Clarity, Reflection, Presence, Solitude, Comfort
Henry James Peace, Clarity, Reflection, Presence, Solitude, Comfort“Her tact had to reckon with the Atlantic Ocean, the General Post-Office and the extravagant curve of the globe.” Henry James
Atlantic Challenge, Global Reckoning, Postal Efforts, Personal Tact, Distance Overcome, Relational Connection
Henry James Atlantic Challenge, Global Reckoning, Postal Efforts, Personal Tact, Distance Overcome, Relational Connection“Experience was to be taken as showing that one might get a five-pound note as one got a light for a cigarette; but one had to check the friendly impulse to ask for it in the same way.” Henry James
Unexpected Gains, Observation, Caution, Simplicity, Generosity, Readiness
Henry James Unexpected Gains, Observation, Caution, Simplicity, Generosity, Readiness“It takes an endless amount of history to make even a little tradition.” Henry James
History, Tradition, Endless, Insight, Little, Reflection
Henry James History, Tradition, Endless, Insight, Little, Reflection“Oxford lends sweetness to labour and dignity to leisure.” Henry James
Education, Wisdom, Leisure, History, Culture, Academia
Henry James Education, Wisdom, Leisure, History, Culture, Academia“The warm, the very warm heart of New England at its best, such a vast abounding Arcadia of mountains and broad vales and great rivers and large lakes and white villages embowered in prodigious elms and maples.” Henry James
Natural Beauty, Regional Pride, Serenity, Heritage, Grandeur
Henry James Natural Beauty, Regional Pride, Serenity, Heritage, Grandeur“Deep experience is never peaceful.” Henry James
Reflection, Experience, Complexity, Emotion, Growth, Solitude
Henry James Reflection, Experience, Complexity, Emotion, Growth, Solitude“The vice in the air, otherwise, was too much like the breath of fate.” Henry James
Airborne Vice, Fateful Breath, Vice, Breath, Fateful, Airborne
Henry James Airborne Vice, Fateful Breath, Vice, Breath, Fateful, Airborne“The critical sense is so far from frequent that it is absolutely rare, and the possession of the cluster of qualities that minister to it is one of the highest distinctions... In this light one sees the critic as the real helper of the artist, a torchbearing outrider, the interpreter, the brother... Just in proportion as he is sentient and restless, just in proportion as he reacts and reciprocates and penetrates, is the critic a valuable instrument.” Henry James
Criticism, Rarity, Distinction, Perception, Interpretation, Collaboration
Henry James Criticism, Rarity, Distinction, Perception, Interpretation, Collaboration