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Christian Nestell Bovee Quotes

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Christian Nestell Bovee was an American writer, philosopher, and theologian known for his works in moral philosophy, religion, and literary criticism.

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All Men May Character World Literature Way Beautiful Heart Feelings Wit Greater Ifs Littles Love Stills Book Giving Life Passion Poor

Famous Christian Nestell Bovee Quotes

“Economy is for the poor; the rich may dispense with it.”

May Poor Economy Rich Frugality

Author:Christian Nestell Bovee

“A mother's love is indeed the golden link that binds youth to age; and he is still but a child, however time may have furrowed his cheek, or silvered his brow, who can yet recall, with a softened heart, the fond devotion, or the gentle chidings, of the best friend that God gives us.”

Giving Heart May Children Stills Age Mother Love Is Youth Devotion Golden Gentle Links Cheeks Recalls Brows Mother's Love

Author:Christian Nestell Bovee

“The cause of laziness is physiological; it is an infirmity of the constitution, and its victim is as much to be pitied as a sufferer from any other constitutional infirmity. It is even worse than many other diseases; from them the patient may recover, while this is incurable.”

May Causes Disease Constitution Victim Patient Laziness Infirmity Sufferers Physiological

Author:Christian Nestell Bovee

“Who aspires to remain leader must keep in advance of his column. His fear must not play traitor to his occasions. The instant he falls into line with his followers, a bolder spirit may throw himself at the head of the movement initiated, and in that moment his leadership is gone.”

May Play Moments Spirit Fall Leadership Lines Leader Gone Movement Occasions Instant That Moment Followers Aspire Columns Traitor

Book:Intuitions and Summaries of Thought

Source: Intuitions and Summaries of Thought

“We repose too much upon the actual, when we should be seeking to develop the possibilities of our being. It is true of nearly all of us, that what we have done is little compared with what we might have accomplished, or may hereafter effect.”

Should May Littles Done Might Too Much Effects Possibility Seeking Accomplished Hereafter Repose

Book:Intuitions and Summaries of Thought

Source: Intuitions and Summaries of Thought

“It is so natural for us to consider our presence as indispensable in the world, so long as we have much to do in it, that the wisdom of retiring wholly from employments in advanced life may be questioned. Certainly, he who does so is in danger of finding, before long, that he has only given up the occupation to which he has been accustomed, for the new business of calculating the period of his decease.”

World May Long Doe Has Beens Given Natural Danger Periods Findings Employment Occupation Retirement Retiring Indispensable Accustomed Given Up Calculating New Business

Author:Christian Nestell Bovee

“It is curious to what a degree one may become attached to a fine tree, especially when it is placed where trees are rare.”

May Tree Fine Degrees Curious

Book:Intuitions and Summaries of Thought

Source: Intuitions and Summaries of Thought

“Every war involves a greater or less relapse into barbarism. War, indeed, in its details, is the essence of inhumanity. It dehumanizes. It may save the state, but it destroys the citizen.”

May War States Greater Citizens Essence Details Barbarism Inhumanity Relapse

Author:Christian Nestell Bovee

“Melancholy sees the worst of things, things as they may be, and not as they are. It looks upon a beautiful face, and sees but a grinning skull.”

Looks May Beautiful Faces Worst Look Up Melancholy Skulls Grinning Beautiful Face

Book:Intuitions and Summaries of Thought

Source: Intuitions and Summaries of Thought

“It may almost be held that the hope of commercial gain has done nearly as much for the cause of truth as even the love of truth.”

May Done Causes Gains Commerce

Author:Christian Nestell Bovee

“The selection of a subject is to the author what choice of position is to the general,--once skilfully determined, the battle is already half won. Of a few writers it may be said that they are popular in despite of their subjects--but of a great many more it may be observed that they are popular because of them.”

May Said Choices Literature Half Subjects Position Battle Determined Despite Great Men Selection

Book:Intuitions and Summaries of Thought

Source: Intuitions and Summaries of Thought

“The best evidence of merit is a cordial recognition of it whenever and wherever it may be found.”

May Found Evidence Recognition Merit

Book:Intuitions and Summaries of Thought

Source: Intuitions and Summaries of Thought

“Even when we fancy we have grown wiser, it is only, it may be, that new prejudices have displaced old ones.”

May Prejudice Fancy Wiser

Book:Intuitions and Summaries of Thought

Source: Intuitions and Summaries of Thought

“Contentment is not happiness. An oyster may be contented. Happiness is compounded of richer elements.”

May Elements Contentment Oysters

Author:Christian Nestell Bovee

“Qualities not regulated run into their opposites. Economy before competence is meanness after it. Therefore economy is for the poor; the rich may dispense with it.”

May Running Poor Quality Economy Rich Opposites Competence Meanness

Author:Christian Nestell Bovee

“We may learn from children how large a part of our grievances is imaginary. But the pain is just as real.”

May Children Real Pain Sorrow Imaginary Grievance

Author:Christian Nestell Bovee

“What is taken from the fortune, also, may haply be so much lifted from the soul. The greatness of a loss, as the proverb suggests, is determinable, not so much by what we have lost, as by what we have left.”

May Soul Lost Left Loss Taken Greatness Waste Fortune

Book:Intuitions and Summaries of Thought

Source: Intuitions and Summaries of Thought

“Something of a person's character may be observed by how they smile. Some never smile they only grin.”

May Persons Character Smile Grinning

Author:Christian Nestell Bovee

“Every trait of beauty may be referred to some virtue, as to innocence, candor, generosity, modesty, or heroism. St. Pierre To cultivate the sense of the beautiful, is one of the most effectual ways of cultivating an appreciation of the divine goodness.”

Way May Beautiful Beauty Virtue Divine Goodness Appreciation Generosity Innocence Traits Modesty Heroism Cultivating Candor

Author:Christian Nestell Bovee

“The legitimate aim of criticism is to direct attention to the excellent. The bad will dig its own grave, and the imperfect may safely be left to that final neglect from which no amount of present undeserved popularity can rescue it.”

May Left Attention Amount Direct Criticism Aim Finals Graves Excellent Neglect Imperfection Imperfect Rescue Popularity

Author:Christian Nestell Bovee

“It is safer to quote what is written than what is spoken. What a man writes it is fair to presume he believes as a matter of general conviction, but it is not so with what he utters in the freedom of conversation. In that he may only express the feeling of the moment, and not his settled judgment, or matured opinion.”

Men Writing Believe May Matter Moments Feelings Opinion Written Conversation Judgment Fairs Conviction Matured

Book:Intuitions and Summaries of Thought

Source: Intuitions and Summaries of Thought

“It is our relation to circumstances that determine their influence over us. The same wind that blows one ship into port may blow another off shore.”

May Chance Influence Wind Circumstances Relation Determine Blow Ships Shore Port

Author:Christian Nestell Bovee

About the Author

Born: February 22, 1820
Died: 1904
Known for: Author
Quotes: 314

Books & Sources

Intuitions and Summaries of ThoughtRelated source material

Summaries of ThoughtRelated source material

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