We call those poets who are first to mark, Through earth's dull mist the coming of the dawn, Who see in twilight's gloom the first pale spark, While others only note that day is gone.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.Read
Don't flatter yourselves that friendship authorizes you to say disagreeable things to your intimates. On the contrary, the nearer you come into relation with a person, the more necessary do tact and courtesy become.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True friendship requires kindness and consideration, even when you disagree.
This quote emphasizes that as friendships deepen, the expectation for tact and courtesy increases. While friends might feel comfortable expressing their thoughts freely, it is crucial to maintain respect and kindness in communication, ensuring that personal feelings do not harm the friendship.
Themes
FriendshipTactCourtesyRelationshipsCommunication
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote in a speech about the importance of kindness in friendships.
More from Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
All quotes →Every real thought on every real subject knocks the wind out of somebody or other.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.Read
The very aim and end of our institutions is just this: that we may think what we like and say what we think.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.Read
Don't you stay at home of evenings? Don't you love a cushioned seat in a corner, by the fireside, with your slippers on your feet?
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.Read
Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle which fits them all.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.Read
Take your needle, my child, and work at your pattern; it will come out a rose by and by. Life is like that - one stitch at a time taken patiently and the pattern will come out all right like the embroidery.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.Read
Similar quotes
Sir,' I interrupted him, 'you are inexorable for that unfortunate lady; you speak of her with hate --- with vindictive antipathy. It is cruel --- she cannot help being mad.
Charlotte BronteRead
It is only in marriage with the world that our ideals can bear fruit; divorced from it, they remain barren.
Bertrand RussellRead
I never ask my wife about my flaws. Instead I try to get her to ignore them and concentrate on my sense of humor. You don't want any woman to look under the carpet because there's lots of flaws underneath. Joanne believes my character in a film we did together, "Mr. and Mrs. Bridge" comes closest to who I really am. I personally don't think there's one character who comes close... but I learned a long time ago not to disagree on things that I don't have a solid opinion about.
Paul NewmanRead
You know, the eleven million people living in the shadows, I believe, they're already American citizens... These people are just waiting, waiting for a chance to contribute fully. And by that standard alone eleven million undocumented aliens are already Americans in my view.
Joe BidenRead
When we set out on the path, we always have a fairly clear idea of what we hope to find. Women are generally seeking their Soul Mate, and men looking for Power. Neither party is really interested in learning. They simply want to reach the thing they have set as their goal.
Paulo CoelhoRead
My brained warned me, but my heart didn't want to take its advice.
Paulo CoelhoRead