She had once heard an enthusiastic musician, out of patience with a gifted bungler, declare that a fine voice is really an obstacle to singing properly; and it occurred to her that it might perhaps be equally true that a beautiful face is an obstacle to the acquisition of charming manners.
Henry James
Self-Awareness, Beauty, Manners, Reflection, Perception, Balance
Henry James’s Quotes On Topics
Life Dedication | Motive | Youth | Overflowing | Paralyzing Fear | Reason | Stability | Fleeting | Quiet Day | Summer Beauty | Bold Expression | Freshness | Morality | Evil | Natural | Hidden Insights | Personal Offense | Sudden Descent | Lingering Days | Remnants | More
More Henry James Quotes
“To live only to suffer – only to feel the injury of life repeated and enlarged – it seemed to her she was too valuable, too capable, for that.” Henry James
Emotional Struggles, Self-Worth, Resilience, Suffering, Reflection, Value
Henry James Emotional Struggles, Self-Worth, Resilience, Suffering, Reflection, Value“When the possibilities themselves had accordingly turned stale, when the secret of the gods had grown faint, had perhaps even quite evaporated, that, and that only, was failure. It wouldn’t have been failure to be bankrupt, dishonoured, pilloried, hanged; it was failure not to be anything.” Henry James
Failure, Possibilities, Secret, Gods, Vaporation, Insignificance
Henry James Failure, Possibilities, Secret, Gods, Vaporation, Insignificance“It’s exactly the thing that I’m reduced to doing for myself. It seems to rescue a little, you see, from the wreck of hopes and ambitions, the refuse-heap of disappointments and failures, my one presentable little scrap of an identity.” Henry James
Resilient Identity, Hopes And Ambitions, Personal Rescue, Life Failures, Self Preservation, Inner Strength
Henry James Resilient Identity, Hopes And Ambitions, Personal Rescue, Life Failures, Self Preservation, Inner Strength“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
Life, Experience, Living, Mistake, Fulfillment, Choice
Henry James Life, Experience, Living, Mistake, Fulfillment, Choice“His secretary of many years’ standing, Theodora Bosanquet, was struck by this persistent aspect of the Jamesian sensibility: ‘When he walked out of the refuge of his study and into the world and looked about him, he saw a place of torment, where creatures of prey perpetually thrust their claws into the quivering flesh of the doomed, defenceless children of light.” Henry James
Jamesian Vision, Emotional Torment, Narrative Insight, Sensibility, Reflection, Perspective
Henry James Jamesian Vision, Emotional Torment, Narrative Insight, Sensibility, Reflection, Perspective“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“It was the tragic part of happiness; one’s right was always made of the wrong of some one else.” Henry James
Paradox Of Joy, Moral Dilemma, Happiness, Loss, Fairness, Duality
Henry James Paradox Of Joy, Moral Dilemma, Happiness, Loss, Fairness, Duality“There are two kinds of taste, the taste for emotions of surprise and the taste for emotions of recognition.” Henry James
Taste, Emotions, Recognition, Surprise, Perception, Experience
Henry James Taste, Emotions, Recognition, Surprise, Perception, Experience“I never was what I should be.” Henry James
Personal Regret, Unfulfilled Potential, Self Reflection, Inner Conflict, Identity Crisis, Life Realization
Henry James Personal Regret, Unfulfilled Potential, Self Reflection, Inner Conflict, Identity Crisis, Life Realization“The flash of this knowledge – for it was knowledge in the midst of dread – produced in me the most extraordinary effect.” Henry James
Knowledge, Dread, Insight, Emotions, Transformation, Realization
Henry James Knowledge, Dread, Insight, Emotions, Transformation, Realization“The chance had come – it was an extraordinary one – on the day she first met Densher; and it was to the girl’s lasting honour that she knew on the spot what she was in the presence of.” Henry James
Chance Encounter, Lasting Honour, Encounter, Honour, Lasting, Chance
Henry James Chance Encounter, Lasting Honour, Encounter, Honour, Lasting, Chance“I have a household of good books, and reading tends to take for me the place of experience – or rather to become itself experience concentrated. You will say this is a dull picture, but I cultivate dulness in a world grown too noisy.” Henry James
Knowledge, Solitude, Reflection, Experience, Focus, Distraction
Henry James Knowledge, Solitude, Reflection, Experience, Focus, Distraction“One’s theories, after all, matter little, it is one’s humor that is the great thing.” Henry James
Humorous Perspective, Life Theories, Humor, Life, Perspective, Theories
Henry James Humorous Perspective, Life Theories, Humor, Life, Perspective, Theories“Don’t underestimate the value of irony – it is extremely valuable.” Henry James
Irony, Value, Humor, Perception, Critique, Impact
Henry James Irony, Value, Humor, Perception, Critique, Impact“We trust to novels to train us in the practice of great indignations and great generosity.” Henry James
Novel, Indignation, Generosity, Trust, Reflection, Training
Henry James Novel, Indignation, Generosity, Trust, Reflection, Training“One never said the things one wanted – one remembered them all an hour afterwards. On the other hand one usually said a lot of things one shouldn’t, simply from a sense that one had to say something.” Henry James
Missed Words, Overspoken Thoughts, Reflective Regret, Social Blunders, Personal Missteps, Communication Gap
Henry James Missed Words, Overspoken Thoughts, Reflective Regret, Social Blunders, Personal Missteps, Communication Gap“It had been agreed between them that lighted candles at wayside inns, in strange countries amid mountain scenery, gave the evening meal a peculiar poetry.” Henry James
Experience, Beauty, Tradition, Atmosphere, Reflection, Connection
Henry James Experience, Beauty, Tradition, Atmosphere, Reflection, Connection“Don’t try so much to form your character – it’s like trying to pull open a tight, tender young rose. Live as you like best and your character will take care of itself.” Henry James
Natural Growth, Character Building, Growth, Character, Natural, Tender
Henry James Natural Growth, Character Building, Growth, Character, Natural, Tender“I might show it to you, but you’d never see it. The privilege isn’t given to every one; it’s not enviable. It has never been seen by a young, happy, innocent person like you. You must have suffered first, have suffered greatly, have gained some miserable knowledge. In that way your eyes are opened to it.” Henry James
Hidden Privilege, Painful Awareness, Privilege, Awareness, Painful, Hidden
Henry James Hidden Privilege, Painful Awareness, Privilege, Awareness, Painful, Hidden