Quotes from Henry Van Dyke

What we do belongs to what we are; and what we are is what becomes of us.

The Bible teaches that God owns the world. He distributes to every man according to His own good pleasure, conformably to general laws.

The Bible does not profess to make men omniscient, but simply to tell them enough to make them happy and good, if they will believe it and live up to it.

Jazz: Music invented for the torture of imbeciles.

We are all swimmers in God's mighty sea.

No matter what theory of the origin of government you adopt, if you follow it out to its legitimate conclusions it will bring you face to face with the moral law.

You never see the stock called Happiness quoted on the exchange.

Faith is an adventure; it is the courage of the soul to face the unknown. But that courage springs from the hope and confidence of the soul that its adventure will succeed.

What you possess in the world will be found at the day of your death to belong to someone else. But what you are will be yours forever.

I thank God for the honesty and virility of Jesus religion which makes us face the facts and calls us to take a man's part in the real battle of life.

To desire and strive to be of some service to the world, to aim at doing something which shall really increase the happiness and welfare and virtue of mankind - this is a choice which is possible for all of us; and surely it is a good haven to sail for.

Half of the secular unrest and dismal, profane sadness of modern society comes from the vain ideas that every man is bound to be a critic for life.

Hymns of today that may be sung by people who know the thought of the age...are not afraid that any truth of science will destroy Christianity, or any revolution will overthrow the Kingdom of Heaven.

No amount of energy will take the place of thought. A strenuous life with its eyes shut is a kind of wild insanity.

Of all the things that man has made, no is so full of interest and charm, none possesses so distinct a life and character of its own, as a ship.

There is no personal charm so great as the charm of a cheerful temperament.

As long as habit and routine dictate the pattern of living, new dimensions of the soul will not emerge.

Be grateful for the tiny details of your life and make room for unexpected and beautiful blessings.

Culture is the habit of being pleased with the best and knowing why.

The strength of your life is measured by the strength of your will.

Some succeed because they are destined to, but most succeed because they are determined to.

Happiness is inward, and not outward; and so, it does not depend on what we have, but on what we are.

We measure success by accumulation. The measure is false. The true measure is appreciation. He who loves most has most.

I shall grow old, but never lose life's zest, because the road's last turn will be the best.