As long as habit and routine dictate the pattern of living, new dimensions of the soul will not emerge.
Henry Van DykeRead
It is with rivers as it is with people: the greatest are not always the most agreeable nor the best to live with.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Not all great individuals or things are easy to get along with or ideal for coexistence.
This quote by Henry Van Dyke compares rivers to people, suggesting that the most significant or impressive entities are not necessarily those that are pleasant or easy to be around. Just like rivers can be powerful and awe-inspiring yet challenging to navigate, people who possess great qualities might also have traits that make them difficult companions. This invites reflection on accepting complexity in both nature and human relationships.
Themes
RiversPeopleGreatnessRelationshipsComplexity
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about leadership qualities during a conference.
More from Henry Van Dyke
All quotes βLet me but find it in my heart to say, When vagrant wishes beckon me astray, "This is my work; my blessing, not my doom; Of all who live, I am the one by whom This work can best be done in the right way."
Henry Van DykeRead
And you will remember that love is not getting, but giving; not a wild dream of pleasure, and a madness of desire β oh no, love is not that β it is goodness, and honour, and peace, and pure living β yes, love is that; and it is the best thing in the world, and the thing that lives longest.
Henry Van DykeRead
Oh, London is a man's town, there's power in the air; And Paris is a woman's town, with flowers in her hair; And it's sweet to dream in Venice, and it's great to study Rome; But when it comes to living, there is no place like home.
Henry Van DykeRead
No amount of energy will take the place of thought. A strenuous life with its eyes shut is a kind of wild insanity.
Henry Van DykeRead
A peace that depends on fear is nothing but a suppressed war.
Henry Van DykeRead
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