CHRISTIAN NESTELL BOVEE QUOTES III

American author (1820-1904)

Perhaps the natural character of a man may be best seen before breakfast. The world is created anew for us every morning, and he is just then reissued, as it were, from the hands of nature, with all his original peculiarities fresh upon him.

CHRISTIAN NESTELL BOVEE

Intuitions and Summaries of Thought


Youth is the season of receptivity, and should be devoted to acquirement; and manhood of power--that demands an earnest application. Old age is for revision.

CHRISTIAN NESTELL BOVEE

Intuitions and Summaries of Thought


Age, that acquaints us with infirmities in ourselves, should make us tender in our reprehension of weakness elsewhere.

CHRISTIAN NESTELL BOVEE

Intuitions and Summaries of Thought


Discretion is the salt, and fancy the sugar, of life: the one preserves, the other sweetens it.

CHRISTIAN NESTELL BOVEE

Intuitions and Summaries of Thought


Our courage is greater to dare a visible than an imagined danger. A visible danger rouses our energies to meet or avert it; a fancied peril appalls from its presenting nothing to be resisted. Thus, a panic is, usually, a sudden going over to the enemy of our imagination. All is then lost, for we have not only to fight against that enemy, but our imagination as well.

CHRISTIAN NESTELL BOVEE

Intuitions and Summaries of Thought


A young lady can only look charming at so much per yard. A pretty miss in calico is a lovely woman in silk; and a charming girl in muslin is an angel in satin. At least she thinks so, and who would contradict a lady?

CHRISTIAN NESTELL BOVEE

Intuitions and Summaries of Thought


Ambition, in one respect, is like a singer's voice; pitched at too high a key, it breaks and comes to nothing.

CHRISTIAN NESTELL BOVEE

Intuitions and Summaries of Thought


Dreamers are half-way men of thought, and men of thought are half-way men of action.

CHRISTIAN NESTELL BOVEE

Intuitions and Summaries of Thought


It is invidious to distinguish particular men as adventurers: we are all such.

CHRISTIAN NESTELL BOVEE

Intuitions and Summaries of Thought


If one could only tear down his character, as old buildings are torn down, and build it up anew, as these are rebuilt! And so, in effect, it can be. A noble property of character is, that it is susceptible of improvement.

CHRISTIAN NESTELL BOVEE

Intuitions and Summaries of Thought


Unmerited compliments are the keenest reproaches.

CHRISTIAN NESTELL BOVEE

Intuitions and Summaries of Thought


We are far more the creatures of our ideas than of our circumstances.

CHRISTIAN NESTELL BOVEE

Intuitions and Summaries of Thought


We serve the devil in our youth, God in our old age--thinking if we journey towards hell while our limbs are sound, we can turn when they fail us, and get to heaven on crutches.

CHRISTIAN NESTELL BOVEE

Intuitions and Summaries of Thought


Courage ennobles manhood; cowardice degrades it.

CHRISTIAN NESTELL BOVEE

Intuitions and Summaries of Thought


No work deserves to be criticized that has not much in it that deserves to be applauded.

CHRISTIAN NESTELL BOVEE

Intuitions and Summaries of Thought


We should be sure, when we rebuke a want of charity, to do it with charity.

CHRISTIAN NESTELL BOVEE

Intuitions and Summaries of Thought


We trifle when we assign limits to our desires, since nature has set none.

CHRISTIAN NESTELL BOVEE

Intuitions and Summaries of Thought


All greatness in performance rests upon a basis of details. A knowledge of what is general to a subject may suffice for the merely learned man, but a thorough knowledge of details is necessary to form the adept.

CHRISTIAN NESTELL BOVEE

Intuitions and Summaries of Thought


Contentment is not happiness. An oyster may be contented. Happiness is compounded of richer elements.

CHRISTIAN NESTELL BOVEE

Intuitions and Summaries of Thought


He half retrieves a defeat who yields to it gracefully.

CHRISTIAN NESTELL BOVEE

Intuitions and Summaries of Thought