As long as habit and routine dictate the pattern of living, new dimensions of the soul will not emerge.
Henry Van DykeRead
Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Time is experienced differently based on our emotions and states of mind, with love transcending time.
This quote reflects on how our perception of time varies with our feelings and attitudes. For instance, those waiting may feel time drags on, while those in fear or grief often find it fleeting. In contrast, when one is in love, time seems to become timeless or eternal, suggesting that love adds profound depth to our experience of life.
Themes
TimeLovePerceptionEmotionEternity
In practice
Example use cases
Sharing this quote during a wedding ceremony to emphasize the timelessness of love.
More from Henry Van Dyke
All quotes →It is with rivers as it is with people: the greatest are not always the most agreeable nor the best to live with.
Henry Van DykeRead
Let 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 — oh no, love is not that — it is goodness, and honour, and peace, and pure living — 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
Similar quotes
Hearts are not had as a gift, But hearts are earned.
William Butler YeatsRead
At that moment of love, a moment when passion is absolutely silent under omnipotence of ecstasy, Marius, pure seraphic Marius, would have been more capable of visiting a woman of the streets than of raising Cosette’s dress above the ankle. Once on a moonlit night, Cosette stopped to pick up something from the ground, her dress loosened and revealed the swelling of her breasts. Marius averted his eyes.
Victor HugoRead
I want to be your stranger across a crowded room.
Jeffrey ArcherRead
I learned a world from each / one whom I loved
Allen GinsbergRead
People are surprised by the poverty and think that I wasn't cared for. But that wasn't the case - I was deeply loved.
Liz MurrayRead
The important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
Gore VidalRead