Quotes by Washington Irving

Washington Irving

Washington Irving

American writer

Lived from: 1783 - 1859

Category: Writers (Contemporary) Country: FlagUnited States

Born: 3 april 1783 Died: 28 november 1859

  • There is a serene and settled majesty to woodland scenery that enters into the soul and delights and elevates it, and fills it with noble inclinations.
  • There is a certain relief in change, even though it be from bad to worse! As I have often found in traveling in a stagecoach, that ;it is often a comfort to shift one's position, and be bruised in a new place.
  • A tart temper never mellows with age, and a sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener with constant use.
  • Some minds seem almost to create themselves, springing up under every disadvantage and working their solitary but irresistible way through a thousand obstacles.
  • The idol of today pushes the hero of yesterday out of our recollection; and will, in turn, be supplanted by his successor of tomorrow.
  • There is in every woman's heart a spark of heavenly fire which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity, but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity.
+3

Quotes 1 till 20 of 28.

1 2 Next 
  • There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love.
    ― Washington Irving
    - +
    +1
  • A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles.
    ― Washington Irving
    - +
     0
  • A tart temper never mellows with age, and a sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener with constant use.
    ― Washington Irving
    - +
     0
  • A woman's life is a history of the affections.
    ― Washington Irving
    - +
     0
  • An inexhaustible good nature is one of the most precious gifts of heaven, spreading itself like oil over the troubled sea of thought, and keeping the mind smooth and equable in the roughest weather.
    ― Washington Irving
    - +
     0
  • Great minds have purposes; others have wishes.
    ― Washington Irving
    - +
     0
  • I am always at a loss at how much to believe of my own stories.
    ― Washington Irving
    - +
     0
  • In civilized life, where the happiness and indeed almost the existence of man, depends on the opinion of his fellow men. He is constantly acting a studied part.
    ― Washington Irving
    - +
     0
  • Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great minds rise above them.
    ― Washington Irving
    - +
     0
  • Love is never lost. If not reciprocated, it will flow back and soften and purify the heart.
    ― Washington Irving
    - +
     0
  • Marriage is the torment of one, the felicity of two, the strife and enmity of three.
    ― Washington Irving
    - +
     0
  • Rising genius always shoots out its rays from among the clouds, but these will gradually roll away and disappear as it ascends to its steady luster.
    ― Washington Irving
    - +
     0
  • Some minds seem almost to create themselves, springing up under every disadvantage and working their solitary but irresistible way through a thousand obstacles.
    ― Washington Irving
    - +
     0
  • Temper never mellows with age, and a sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener with constant use.
    ― Washington Irving
    - +
     0
  • The idol of today pushes the hero of yesterday out of our recollection; and will, in turn, be supplanted by his successor of tomorrow.
    ― Washington Irving
    - +
     0
  • The natural effect of sorrow over the dead is to refine and elevate the mind.
    ― Washington Irving
    - +
     0
  • The natural principle of war is to do the most harm to our enemy with the least harm to ourselves; and this of course is to be effected by stratagem.
    ― Washington Irving
    - +
     0
  • The sorrow for the dead is the only sorrow from which we refuse to be divorced. Every other wound we seek to heal - every other affliction to forget: but this wound we consider it a duty to keep open - this affliction we cherish and brood over in solitude.
    ― Washington Irving
    - +
     0
  • The tongue is the only instrument that gets sharper with use.
    ― Washington Irving
    - +
     0
  • There is a certain relief in change, even though it be from bad to worse! As I have often found in traveling in a stagecoach, that ;it is often a comfort to shift one's position, and be bruised in a new place.
    ― Washington Irving
    - +
     0
1 2 Next 
All Washington Irving famous quotes and sayings you will always find on greatest-quotations.com

Popular subjects

Popular authors

Questions and Answers

What are the most famous quotes from Washington Irving?

The two most famous quotes from Washington Irving are:

  • "There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love."
  • "A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles."

When did Washington Irving live?

Washington Irving was born in 1783 and died in the year 1859.