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Lafcadio Hearn Quotes

Powerful Lafcadio Hearn for Daily Growth

About Lafcadio Hearn

Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904), born Patrick LaFCADIO HEARN in Ireland to a Greek father and Irish mother, was an influential author and journalist whose multicultural background greatly influenced his writings. Raised primarily in Greece, he moved frequently due to his parents' troubled marriage, eventually ending up in England at the age of 10. It was here that he changed his name to Lafcadio Hearn, adopting a more exotic moniker to match his mixed heritage. Hearn spent most of his adult life in Japan, where he settled after living in New Orleans and Cuba for brief periods. He became enamored with the culture and traditions of these lands, often integrating their elements into his work. His experiences in the South during the American Civil War are reflected in 'La Cartera de Kuro-Obi' (1887), a collection of tales that blend African and Japanese folklore. In Japan, Hearn worked as a school teacher and a journalist before publishing Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan (1894) – a series of essays exploring the country's customs, superstitions, and ghost stories which brought him international acclaim. His other significant works include Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things (1904), a collection of Japanese ghost stories that remains one of his most enduring legacies. Hearn's life and works embody the spirit of cultural fusion, bridging the gap between East and West with his unique narrative style. He continues to inspire readers today with his enchanting tales and profound insights into the human condition.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity."

This quote suggests that every action we take, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, has a ripple effect that extends beyond our lifetimes. Our actions create echoes in the fabric of time, leaving a lasting impact on the universe, even if we may not be able to perceive it directly. It's a reminder that each of us plays a part in shaping the world around us and in some way, contributes to the story of humanity.

"Life is a long lesson in humility."

This quote by Lafcadio Hearn underscores the idea that life teaches us, consistently and persistently, to be humble. Throughout our journey, we encounter various challenges, failures, and moments of uncertainty that serve as reminders of our limitations and the vastness of the world. These experiences, if acknowledged and embraced with humility, can foster growth, wisdom, and resilience. Embracing humility helps us appreciate life's lessons and adapt to its ever-changing dynamics, leading to a more enlightened and fulfilling existence.

"We are all born unreasonable, and we all shortly die reasonable."

This quote by Lafcadio Hearn suggests that as humans, we begin our lives with an inherent sense of unrestrained desires, dreams, and passions (unreasonableness). However, as we grow and navigate through life, we gradually learn to conform to societal norms, expectations, and realities (reasonableness). This transformation from unreasonable to reasonable is a natural part of maturing, but it's important to preserve the essence of that initial, uninhibited spirit in our lives.

"It is a strange thing, but I find that the more I give to others, the more I have myself."

This quote suggests that selfless acts of giving can paradoxically increase one's own sense of well-being or fulfillment. By helping others, we not only contribute positively to their lives but also foster a deeper connection with our community, nurture empathy, and cultivate personal growth. In essence, the act of giving encourages a cycle of reciprocity that ultimately benefits both giver and receiver, enriching us in ways that go beyond material gain.

"The soul of each great people is expressed in its fairy-tales and legends."

This quote by Lafcadio Hearn suggests that a culture's essence or spirit, often referred to as the "soul," can be discerned through its traditional stories, such as fairy tales and legends. These narratives embody the collective imagination, values, beliefs, and shared experiences of a people, offering insight into their ethos and identity. They serve as a bridge between past and present, preserving cultural heritage while illuminating the universal human experience across generations and geographies.

To ancient Chinese fancy, the Milky Way was a luminous river, - the River of Heaven, - the Silver Stream.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Fancy, Milky Way, Stream, Chinese

The highest duty of the man is not to his father, but to his wife; and for the sake of that woman he abandons all other earthly ties, should any of these happen to interfere with that relation.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Woman, Happen, Other, Earthly

The subject of Finnish poetry ought to have a special interest for the Japanese student, if only for the reason that Finnish poetry comes more closely in many respects to Japanese poetry than any other form of Western poetry.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Reason, Other, Closely, Many Respects

For this reason, to study English literature without some general knowledge of the relation of the Bible to that literature would be to leave one's literary education very incomplete.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Reason, Some, Very, Incomplete

Broad tolerance in the matter of beliefs is necessarily a part of the new ethics.

- Lafcadio Hearn

New, Part, Broad, Tolerance

It has been wisely observed by the greatest of modern thinkers that mankind has progressed more rapidly in every other respect than in morality.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Mankind, Other, Been, Observed

But every great scripture, whether Hebrew, Indian, Persian, or Chinese, apart from its religious value will be found to have some rare and special beauty of its own; and in this respect the original Bible stands very high as a monument of sublime poetry and of artistic prose.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Some, Religious, Very, Monument

At last, in 1611, was made, under the auspices of King James, the famous King James version; and this is the great literary monument of the English language.

- Lafcadio Hearn

King, Famous, Last, Monument

French novels generally treat of the relations of women to the world and to lovers, after marriage; consequently there is a great deal in French novels about adultery, about improper relations between the sexes, about many things which the English public would not allow.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Treat, Deal, Allow, Relations

In the world of reality the more beautiful a work of art, the longer, we may be sure, was the time required to make it, and the greater the number of different minds which assisted in its development.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Art, Development, Which, Assisted

A proof of really great art is that it is generally true - it seldom falls into the misapprehensions to which minor art is liable.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Art, Which, Minor, Liable

There is one type of ideal woman very seldom described in poetry - the old maid, the woman whom sorrow or misfortune prevents from fulfilling her natural destiny.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Destiny, Very, Ideal, Old Maid

A great many things which in times of lesser knowledge we imagined to be superstitious or useless, prove today on examination to have been of immense value to mankind.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Imagination, Been, Which, Lesser

The great principle of Western society is that competition rules here as it rules in everything else. The best man - that is to say, the strongest and cleverest - is likely to get the best woman, in the sense of the most beautiful person.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Woman, Here, Western Society, Everything Else

There are two methods for the literary study of any book - the first being the study of its thought and emotion; the second only that of its workmanship. A student of literature should study some of the Bible from both points of view.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Bible, Study, Some, Workmanship

Perhaps there is an idea among Japanese students that one general difference between Japanese and Western poetry is that the former cultivates short forms and the latter longer ones, gut this is only in part true.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Idea, Gut, Part, Forms

It is true that short forms of poetry have been cultivated in the Far East more than in modern Europe; but in all European literature short forms of poetry are to be found - indeed quite as short as anything in Japanese.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Been, Cultivated, Far East, Forms

As a result, the highly civilized man can endure incomparably more than the savage, whether of moral or physical strain. Being better able to control himself under all circumstances, he has a great advantage over the savage.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Civilized, Great Advantage, Savage

The time of illusion, then, is the beautiful moment of passion; it represents the artistic zone in which the poet or romance writer ought to be free to do the very best that he can.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Romance, Very, Which, Ought

But the history of the changes produced by a universal idea is not a history of changes in the individual, but of changes brought about by the successive efforts of millions of individuals in the course of many generations.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Individual, Idea, Brought, Produced

I often imagine that the longer he studies English literature the more the Japanese student must be astonished at the extraordinary predominance given to the passion of love both in fiction and in poetry.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Love, Imagine, Given, Studies

Some persons have ventured to say that it is only since Englishmen ceased to believe in the Bible that they began to discover how beautiful it was.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Bible, Discover, Some, Englishmen

It is no exaggeration to say that the English Bible is, next to Shakespeare, the greatest work in English literature, and that it will have much more influence than even Shakespeare upon the written and spoken language of the English race.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Bible, Race, Next, Shakespeare

One of the great defects of English books printed in the last century is the want of an index.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Last, Books, Century, Printed

Is woman a religion? Well, perhaps you will have the chance of judging for yourselves if you go to America. There you will find men treating women with just the same respect formerly accorded only to religious dignitaries or to great nobles.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Woman, Religious, Accorded, Treating

Contemporary literature in the West has shown some signs of ethical change.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Literature, Some, Signs, Ethical

The proverbial philosophy of a people helps us to understand more about them than any other kind of literature.

- Lafcadio Hearn

More, Other, Proverbial, Philosophy

There was very little suicide among the men of the North, because every man considered it his duty to get killed, not to kill himself; and to kill himself would have seemed cowardly, as implying fear of being killed by others.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Very, Implying, Seemed, Cowardly

The Western poet and writer of romance has exactly the same kind of difficulty in comprehending Eastern subjects as you have in comprehending Western subjects.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Kind, Romance, Eastern, Western

Accordingly the Northern races of Europe found their inspiration in the Bible; and the enthusiasm for it has not yet quite faded away.

- Lafcadio Hearn

Bible, Away, Accordingly, Faded

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