O. Henry Quotes

In the Big City a man will disappear with the suddenness and completeness of the flame of a candle that is blown out.
O. HENRY

Anand Thakur
It’ll be a great place if they ever finish it.
O. HENRY

Greatness Place
A burglar who respects his art always takes his time before taking anything else.
O. HENRY

Art Himself Respect Time
Of habit, the power that keeps the earth from flying to pieces; though there is some silly theory of gravitation.
O. HENRY

Gravitation Habit Pieces Power Theory
There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So Della did it. Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.
O. HENRY

Domination Down Moral Reflection Smile
I’ll give you the whole secret to short story writing. Here it is. Rule 1: Write stories that please yourself. There is no Rule 2.
O. HENRY

Myself Secret Story Writing
Fortune is a prize to be won. Adventure is the road to it. Chance is what may lurk in the shadows at the roadside.
O. HENRY

Fortune Prize Road Shadow Win
My advice to you, if you should ever be in a hold up, is to line up with the cowards and save your bravery for an occasion when it may be of some benefit to you.
O. HENRY

Advice Benefit Brave Coward Hold Yourself
Hospitality in the prairie country is not limited. Even if your enemy passes your way, you must feed him before you shoot him.
O. HENRY

Country Enemy Hospital Pass Praise Yourself
If you can’t write a story that pleases yourself, you will never please the public. But in writing the story forget the public.
O. HENRY

Forget Please Story Writing Yourself
It’s said that love makes the world go around. Let me tell you, the announcement lacks verification. It’s the wind from the dinner horn that does it.
O. HENRY

Horn Love Myself Verify Wind World
Except in streetcars one should never be unnecessarily rude to a lady.
O. HENRY

Exception Necessary Rude Woman
When I see a shipwreck, I like to know what caused the disaster. I learned nothing but the glow that wrapped her face when the soup came. That’s the story.
O. HENRY

Disaster Face Myself Reason See Story
Turn up the lights. I don’t want to go home in the dark.
O. HENRY

Darkness Home Light Myself
We can’t buy one minute of time with cash; if we could, rich people would live longer.
O. HENRY

Cash Live People Time
Humans were denied the speech of animals. The only common ground of communication upon which dogs and men can get together is in fiction.
O. HENRY

Animal Communication Human Talk Together
If you live in an atmosphere of luxury, luxury is yours whether your money pays for it, or another’s.
O. HENRY

Atmosphere Live Money Pay Yourself
It was beautiful and simple, as truly great swindles are.
O. HENRY

Beautiful Greatness Simplicity True
To a woman nothing seems quite impossible to the powers of the man she worships.
O. HENRY

Herself Impossible Love Power Quite Relationship Woman Worship
Perhaps there is no happiness in life so perfect as the martyr’s.
O. HENRY

Happiness Life Perfection
We may achieve climate, but weather is thrust upon us.
O. HENRY

Achieve Climate Ourselves
If man knew how women pass the time when they are alone, they’d never marry.
O. HENRY

Man Marriage Pass Time Woman
Young artists must pave their way to Art by drawing pictures for magazine stories that young authors write to pave their way to Literature.
O. HENRY

Artist Author Drawing Literature Young
There is a saying that no man has tasted the full flavor of life until he has known poverty, love, and war.
O. HENRY

Love Man Poverty Taste War
There are a few editor men with whom I am privileged to come in contact. It has not been long since it was their habit to come in contact with me. There is a difference.
O. HENRY

Contact Difference Man Privilege
Those whom we first love we seldom marry.
O. HENRY

Love Marriage
Whenever he saw a dollar in another man’s hands he took it as a personal grudge, if he couldn’t take it any other way.
O. HENRY

Grudge Hands Man Personal Way

Other Famous Personalities