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If, of all words of tongue and pen, The saddest are, It might have been,’ More sad are these we daily see: ‘It is, but hadn’t ought to be!’

Bret Harte

Crude at first [the short story] received a literary polish in the press, but its dominant quality remained. It was concise and condense, yet suggestive. It was delightfully extravagant – or a miracle of understatement
BRET HARTE

Miracle Quality Stories
Never a lip is curved with pain that can’t be kissed into smiles again.
BRET HARTE

Life Pain Smile
The delicate thought, that cannot find expression, For ruder speech too fair, That, like thy petals, trembles in possession, And scatters on the air.
BRET HARTE

Air Expression Speech
Thiar ain’t no sense In gittin’ riled!
BRET HARTE

Country People Sense
Don’t be too quickTo break bad habits: better stick,Like the Mission folk, to your arsenic.
BRET HARTE

Arsenic Habit Sticks
If, of all words of tongue and pen, The saddest are, It might have been,’ More sad are these we daily see: ‘It is, but hadn’t ought to be!’
BRET HARTE

might Ought Tongue
The dominant expression of a child is gravity.
BRET HARTE

Childhood Children Expression
The only sure thing about luck is that it will change.
BRET HARTE

Leadership Money Sports
Which I wish to remark– And my language is plain,– That for ways that are dark And for tricks that are vain, The heathen Chinee is peculiar.
BRET HARTE

Dark Deceit Wish
The creator who could put a cancer in a believer’s stomach is above being interfered with by prayers.
BRET HARTE

Cancer God Prayer
But still when the mists of doubt prevail, And we lie becalmed by the shores of age, We hear from the misty troubled shore The voce of children gone before. Drawing the soul to its anchorage.
BRET HARTE

Children Drawing Lying
It may be broadly stated that…..of all animals kept for the recreation of mankind the horse is alone capable of exciting a passion that shall be absolutely hopeless.
BRET HARTE

Animal Horse Passion
Love differs from all the other contagious diseases: the last time a man is exposed to it, he takes it most readily, and has it the worst!
BRET HARTE

Disease Love Men
One big vice in a man is apt to keep out a great many smaller ones.
BRET HARTE

Big Great Men Vices
Each lost day has its patron saint!
BRET HARTE

Lost Patron Saint
When folks find I ain’t afeard to speak my mind on their affairs, they kinder guess I’m tellin’ the truth about my own.
BRET HARTE

Honesty Mind Speak

If, of all words of tongue and pen, The saddest are, It might have been,’ More sad are these we daily see: ‘It is, but hadn’t ought to be!’

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If, of all words of tongue and pen, The saddest are, It might have been,’ More sad are these we daily see: ‘It is, but hadn’t ought to be!’

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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