Henry James (1843-1916)

Henry James was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the son of theologian Henry James Sr. and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James.

Quotes

Summer afternoon - Summer afternoon... the two most beautiful words in the English language.

Summer
It is, I think, an indisputable fact that Americans are, as Americans, the most self- conscious people in the world, and the most addicted to the belief that the other nations are in a conspiracy to under-value them.

Americans
Cats and monkeys; monkeys and cats; all human life is there.

Cats
Deep experience is never peaceful.
There are three things that are important in human life. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. The third is to be kind.
It takes a great deal of history to produce a little literature.
I've always been interested in people, but I've never liked them.
Be generous, be delicate, and always pursue the prize.

Writing
We work in the dark - we do what we can - we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion, and our passion is our task. The rest is the madness of art.
Summer afternoon-summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.

Summer
Live all you can - it's a mistake not to. It doesn't so much matter what you do in particular, so long as you have your life. If you haven't had that, what have you had?
She was a woman who, between courses, could be graceful with her elbows on the table.
She had an unequalled gift... of squeezing big mistakes into small opportunities.

Mistakes, Opportunity
The only obligation to which in advance we may hold a novel, without incurring the accusation of being arbitrary, is that it be interesting.

Books
Live all you can; it's a mistake not to. It doesn't so much matter what you do in particular, so long as you have your life. If you haven't had that what have you had?
Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.
His idea was simply what a man's idea always is--to put every effort off on the woman.
People can be in general pretty well trusted, of course--with the clock of their freedom ticking as loud as it seems to do here--to keep an eye on the fleeting hour.
There are women who are for all your 'times of life.' They're the most wonderful sort.
It has been my fate, and one's fate one accepts. It's a dreadful thing to have to say, in so wicked a world.