Meandering in quietude . . .

Today is the birthday of John Greenleaf Whittier (December 17, 1807 – September 7, 1892), poet. He was one of the Fireside Poets, a group of 19th-century American poets from New England.

"For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: It might have been!" - John Greenleaf Whittier

"You don't always win your battles, but it's good to know you fought." - John Greenleaf Whittier

"The best of a book is not the thought which it contains, but the thought which it suggests; just as the charm of music dwells not in the tones but in the echoes of our hearts." - John Greenleaf Whittier

"For somehow, not only at Christmas, but all the long year through, The joy that you give to others is the joy that comes back to you." - John Greenleaf Whittier

"No longer forward nor behind, I look in hope or fear; But grateful take the good I find, The best of now and here." - John Greenleaf Whittier

"I'll lift you and you lift me, and we'll both ascend together." - John Greenleaf Whittier

"No longer forward nor behind, I look in hope or fear; But grateful take the good I find, The best of now and here." - John Greenleaf Whittier

Whittier image source (1)
Whittier stamp image source (1)