The deepest quality of a work of art will always be the quality of the mind of the producer...No good novel will ever proceed from a superficial mind.
Henry JamesRead
You must save what you can of your life; you musn't lose it all simply because you've lost a part.
Interpretation
Cherish and preserve what you have left in life after experiencing loss.
Henry James's quote speaks to the importance of resilience in the face of loss. It emphasizes that while losing a part of your life can be painful, it is crucial to focus on preserving the remaining aspects of your existence rather than succumbing to despair. This perspective encourages individuals to find strength and continue living fully, even after experiencing setbacks.
In practice
Sharing this quote during a support group meeting for those dealing with grief.
The deepest quality of a work of art will always be the quality of the mind of the producer...No good novel will ever proceed from a superficial mind.
What is character but the determination of incident? What is incident but the illustration of character?
Never say you know the last word about any human heart.
I adore adverbs; they are the only qualifications I really much respect.
We care what happens to people only in proportion as we know what people are.
A swift carriage, of a dark night, rattling with four horses over roads that one canβt see--thatβs my idea of happiness.
I've been through so much. I just live each day, and whatever happens, happens. I've lived a very good life. My life has definitely changed, but the attitude is still the same.
Many a life has been injured by the constant expectation of death. It is life we have to do with, not death. The best preparation for the night is to work diligently while the day lasts. The best preparation for death is life.
Even with all of the things that are so awful, if you walk into your yard and stay there looking at almost anything for five minutes, you will be stunned by how marvelous life is and how incredibly lucky we are to have it.
I realized these were all the snapshots which our children would look at someday with wonder, thinking their parents had lived smooth, well-ordered lives and got up in the morning to walk proudly on the sidewalks of life, never dreaming the raggedy madness and riot of our actual lives, our actual night, the hell of it, the senseless emptiness.
If I was ever a rare fine summer person, that's long ago. Most of us are half-and-half. The August noon in us works to stave off the November chills. We survive by what little Fourth of July wits we've stashed away. But there are times when we're all autumn people.
I'm in a place in my life where I get offered parts that I didn't get offered before - fathers and uncles and grandfathers and so on. And it took me a long time to get to that place, but I'm glad because it opens up new territory.
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