Henri-Frédéric Amiel Quotes

To learn new habits is everything for it is to reach the substance of life. Life is but a tissue of habits.

Analysis kills spontaneity. The grain once ground into flour germinates no more.

The man who insists upon seeing with perfect clearness before he decides never decides.

To repel one's cross is to make it heavier.

A journal takes the place of a confidant, that is, of friend or wife; it becomes a substitute for production, a substitute for country and public. It is a grief-cheating device, a mode of escape and withdrawal; but, factotum as it is, though it takes the place of everything, properly speaking it represents nothing at all...

Let us never be afraid of innocent joy; God is good and what he does is well done; resign yourself to everything, even happiness; ask for the spirit of sacrifice, of detachment, of renunciation, and above all, for the spirit of joy and gratitude.

Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are traveling the dark journey with us. Oh, be swift to love, make haste to be kind.

Conquering any difficulty always gives one a secret joy, for it means pushing back a boundary line and adding to one's liberty.