When I have been unhappy, I have heard an opera ... and it seemed the shrieking of winds; when I am happy, a sparrow's chirp is delicious to me. But it is not the chirp that makes me happy, but I that make it sweet.
Tags: happiness

Other Quotes by "John Ruskin"

In general, pride is at the bottom of all great mistakes.
Tags: general, pride, mistakes, great
Whereas it has long been known and declared that the poor have no right to the property of the rich, I wish it also to be known and declared that the rich have no right to the property of the poor.
Tags: wish, poor, rich, long
The higher a man stands, the more the word vulgar becomes unintelligible to him.
Tags: higher, him, more, man
The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it.
Tags: become, get, reward, person
The principle of all successful effort is to try to do not what is absolutely the best, but what is easily within our power, and suited for our temperament and condition.
Tags: try, effort, power, best
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