Quotes by E. B. White

Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness natives give it solidity and continuity but the settlers give it passion.

Summertime oh summertime pattern of life indelible the fade-proof lake the woods unshatterable the pasture with the sweetfern and the juniper forever and ever . . . the cottages with their innocent and tranquil design their tiny docks with the flagpole and the American flag floating against the white clouds in the blue sky the little paths over the roots of the trees leading from camp to camp. This was the American family at play escaping the city heat.

I liked to sail alone. The sea was the same as a girl to me - I did not want anyone else along.

The first day of spring was once the time for taking the young virgins into the fields there in dalliance to set an example in fertility for Nature to follow. Now we just set the clock an hour ahead and change the oil in the crankcase.

There is nothing more likely to start disagreement among people or countries than an agreement.

I am reminded of the advice of my neighbor. Never worry about your heart til it stops beating.

Advice to young writers who want to get ahead without any annoying delays: dont write about Man write about a man.

Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it.

Whatever else an American believes or disbelieves about himself, he is absolutely sure he has a sense of humor.

The time not to become a father is eighteen years before a war.

To perceive Christmas through its wrappings becomes more difficult with every year.

Old age is a special problem for me because Ive never been able to shed the mental image I have of myself - a lad of about 19.

I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.

Genius is more often found in a cracked pot than in a whole one.

Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts.

A good farmer is nothing more nor less than a handy man with a sense of humus.

Writing is hard work and bad for the health.

Be obscure clearly.

When I was a child people simply looked about them and were moderately happy; today they peer beyond the seven seas, bury themselves waist deep in tidings, and by and large what they see and hear makes them unutterably sad.

Everything in life is somewhere else, and you get there in a car.