James Stephens Quotes & Sayings

“We get wise by asking questions, and even if these are not answered, we get wise, for a well-packed question carries its answer on its back as a snail carries its shell.”

“Quietness is the beginning of virtue. To be silent is to be beautiful. Stars do not make a noise.”

“A sword, a spade, and a thought should never be allowed to rust.”

“Chaos is the first condition. Order is the first law. Continuity is the first reflection. Quietude is the first happiness.”

“A Leprecaun without a pot of gold is like a rose without perfume, a bird without a wing, or an inside without an outside.”

“Curiosity will conquer fear even more than bravery will.”

“There is no tragedy more woeful than the victory of hate, nor any attainment so hopelessly barren as the sterility of that achievement; for hate is finality, and finality is the greatest evil which can happen in a world of movement.”

“You must be fit to give before you can be fit to receive.”

“Let the past be content with itself, for man needs forgetfulness as well as memory.”

“Originality does not consist in saying what no one has ever said before, but in saying exactly what you think yourself.”