Henry Ward Beecher Quotes

To secure a contented spirit, measure your desires by your fortune, and not your fortune by your desires.

If you want one thing too much it’s likely to be a disappointment. The healthy way is to learn to like the everyday things, like soft beds and buttermilk—and feisty gentlemen.

You can't have everything you want, but you can have the things that really matter to you.

A person can't have everything in this world; and it was a little unreasonable of her to expect it.

If I had known what it would be like to have it all - I might have been willing to settle for less.

It is not good to be too free. It is not good to have everything one wants.

You CAN have it all. You just can't have it all at once.

Love Jo all your days, if you choose, but don't let it spoil you, for it's wicked to throw away so many good gifts because you can't have the one you want.

Too much is a vanity; enough is a feast.

You can have all you can expect and accept.

To be satisfied with little is hard, to be satisfied with a lot is impossible.

Make peace with the knowledge that you can't have everything you want. Why? Because it's more important for us to get everything we need.

People are funny. They want the front of the bus, the middle of the road and the back of the church. —Mrs. Miracle

The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.

Better halfe a loafe than no bread.

Sometimes, we just have to be happy with what people can offer us. Even if it's not what we want, at least it's something.

Finding something important in life does not mean that you must give up everything else.

Don't overload Gratitude; if you do, she'll kick.

Those who take the most from the table, teach contentment. Those for whom the taxes are destined, demand sacrifice. Those who eat their fill, speak to the hungry, of wonderful times to come. Those who lead the country into the abyss, call ruling difficult, for ordinary folk.

Sometimes the key to happiness is just expecting a little bit less

Receive the gifts of fortune without pride, and part with them without reluctance.

Better never means better for everyone... It always means worse, for some.

The healthy eye ought to see all visible things and not to say, I wish for green things; for this is the condition of a diseased eye.

There is no greater sin than desire, No greater curse than discontent, No greater misfortune than wanting something for oneself. Therefore he who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.

I got about half the time I wanted to write poetry. I got about half the time I needed to be a father. So there is something in adulthood that has to do with accepting the half of things, allowing a renunciation of the other half, accepting half a basket instead of a full basket.