Henry Alford > Quotes

“Contrary to popular opinion, manners are not a luxury good that's interesting only to those who can afford to think about them. The essence of good manners is not exclusivity, nor exclusion of any kind, but sensitivity. To practice good manners is to confer upon others not just consideration but esteem; it's to bathe others in a commodity best described by noted speller Aretha Franklin.”
― Henry Alford, Would It Kill You to Stop Doing That? A Modern Guide to Manners

“If you are afraid of death, you are afraid of life, for living your life leads to death. Until you face death and see its beauty, you will be afraid to really live—you will never properly burn the candle for fear of its end.”
― Henry Alford, How to Live: A Search for Wisdom from Old People

“Life is so short, So Fast The Lone Hours Fly, We Ought To Be Together, You and I”
― Henry Alford

“I used to be svelte but with age I have svelled. ”
― Henry Alford

“My hand is lonely for your clasping, dear;
My ear is tired waiting for your call.
I want your strength to help, your laugh to cheer;
Heart, soul and senses need you, one and all.
I droop without your full, frank sympathy;
We ought to be together—you and I;

We want each other so, to comprehend
The dream, the hope, things planned, or seen, or wrought.
Companion, comforter and guide and friend,
As much as love asks love, does thought ask thought.
Life is so short, so fast the lone hours fly,
We ought to be together, you and I.”
― Henry Alford, Would It Kill You to Stop Doing That? A Modern Guide to Manners

“‎"Man's life is of God, not of his goods, however abundant they may be.”
― Henry Alford

“I know not if the dark or bright Shall be by lot, If that wherein my hopes delight, be best or not”
― Henry Alford