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
Money's a horrid thing to follow, but a charming thing to meet.
Interpretation
Pursuing money can lead to negative consequences, yet encountering it can be beneficial and pleasant.
Henry James reflects on the dual nature of money in this quote. He suggests that while the relentless pursuit of wealth can lead to an undesirable and morally corrupt path, the actual experience of having financial resources or the opportunities that come with money can be delightful and advantageous. This indicates a complex relationship with money, where its pursuit may be detrimental, yet its presence can provide comfort and joy.
In practice
During a finance conference to highlight the balanced view on wealth.
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 can’t see--that’s my idea of happiness.
… in the relentless and meaningless manner one searches for something in a nightmare, coming on doors that won’t open or drawers that won’t shut, struggling over and over against the same meaningless thing, not knowing why the effort seems so desperate, why the sudden sight of a chair with a shawl thrown over it inspires the mind with horror.
We lose many things simply out of our fear of losing them.
America's founding Ideal was the principle of individual rights. Nothing more - and nothing less.
Imagine that each time you inhale, that the universe is breathing into you, and as you exhale it is breathing out of you.
It was my view then, and still is, that you don't make war without knowing why. Knowledge of course, is always imperfect, but it seemed to me that when a nation goes to war it must have reasonable confidence in the justice and imperative of its cause. You can't fix your mistakes. Once people are dead, you can't make them undead.
A man does not always choose what his guardian angel intends.
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