Quotes by Henry James

About Henry James:

Henry James is regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr. and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

It's not my fate to give up--I know it can't be.

Henry James

I don't need the aid of a clever man to teach me how to live. I can find it out for myself.

Henry James

She couldn't have told you whether it was because she was afraid, or because such a voice in the darkness seemed of necessity a boon; but she listened to him as she had never listened before; his words dropped deep into her soul.

Henry James

I'm yours for ever--for ever and ever. Here I stand; I'm as firm as a rock. If you'll only trust me, how little you'll be disappointed. Be mine as I am yours.

Henry James

There's no more usual basis of union than mutual misunderstanding.

Henry James

Still, who could say what men ever were looking for? They looked for what they found; they knew what pleased them only when they saw it.

Henry James

I should think that to hear such lovely music as that would really make him feel better." The lady gave a discriminating smile. “I am afraid there are moments in life when even Beethoven has nothing to say to us. We must admit, however, that they a...

Henry James

She had always observed that she got on better with clever women than silly ones like herself; the silly ones could never understand her wisdom; whereas the clever ones - the really clever ones - always understood her silliness.

Henry James

What is written beneath this heavy handsome book cover will count, so sayeth this cover…

Henry James

Oh to have you with me, to have you here, not to be alone, but to be with you, my beauty, you of all souls! You.

Henry James

She’s the latest freshest fruit of our great American evolution. She’s the self-made girl! (…) Well, to begin with, the self-made girl’s a new feature. That, however, you know. In the second place she isn’t self-made at all. We all help to ...

Henry James

What we often take to be the new is simply the old under some novel form.

Henry James

The American girl isn't ANY girl; she's a remarkable specimen in a remarkable species.

Henry James

Let us be vulgar and have some fun, let us invite the President.

Henry James

And then it was, that grief and pain made themselves known to me as never before. Note this, because I knew the full absurdity of Fate and Fortune and Nature more truly than a human can bear to know it. And perhaps the description of this, brief as i...

Henry James

One moment the world is as it is. The next, it is something entirely different. Something it has never been before.

Henry James

The finest thing under the sun and moon is the human soul. I marvel at the small miracles of kindness that pass between humans, I marvel at the growth of conscience, at the persistence of reason in the face of all superstition or despair. I marvel at...

Henry James

I congratulate myself on not having arrived into the world until the present time. This age suits my taste.

Henry James

You let me handle Marius," I said. "Now, you didn't come without you dagger." "No, I did not," he said, lifting his cloak to reveal it, "And with your permission I would like to plunge it through my heart now so I will most assuredly stone-cold dead ...

Henry James

However, Nick acted as much as possible under the circumstances, and that was rectifying — it brought with it enjoyment and a working faith. He had not gone counter to the axiom that in a case of doubt one was to hold off; for that applied to choic...

Henry James

Make (the reader) think the evil, make him think it for himself, and you are released from weak specifications. My values are positively all blanks, save so far as an excited horror, a promoted pity, a created expertness... proceed to read into them ...

Henry James

Author Bio

  • NameHenry James
  • DescriptionAmerican novelist, short story author, and literary critic
  • BornApril 15, 1843
  • DiedFebruary 28, 1916
  • CountryUnited States Of America
  • ProfessionWriter; Novelist
  • WorksThe American; The Turn Of The Screw; The Portrait Of A Lady; What Maisie Knew; The Wings Of The Dove; Daisy Miller; The Ambassadors
  • AwardsOrder Of Merit