Lafcadio Hearn Quotes

A collection of quotes by Lafcadio Hearn.

Lafcadio Hearn was a Greek-Irish writer who became widely known for his books and essays on Japanese culture. He was born on June 27, 1850, in Lefkada, Ionian Islands, Greece, to a Greek mother and an Irish father. After spending his childhood in Greece and Ireland, he eventually moved to the United States in 1869.

In the U.S., Hearn worked as a journalist for various newspapers, including the Cincinnati Daily Enquirer. It was during his time in Cincinnati that he became fascinated with Japan through a series of articles he wrote on the subject. In 1890, he embarked on a journey to Japan, where he would spend the remainder of his life.

Hearn quickly immersed himself in the traditions, folklore, and customs of Japan, adopting the Japanese name Koizumi Yakumo. He collected countless stories and legends from the country, which he then published in numerous books, including "Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan" and "Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things." His writings offered a unique and intimate perspective on Japanese life and culture, contributing to a greater understanding of Japan in the Western world.

Lafcadio Hearn's works had a profound impact on Western literature and helped shape the perception of Japan during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His captivating storytelling style, combined with his insights into Japanese culture, left a lasting legacy as one of the most important Western interpreters of Japan. He died on September 26, 1904, in Tokyo, Japan.

French novels generally treat of the relations of women to t

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.

I often imagine that the longer he studies English literatur

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.

Poetry

It has been wisely observed by the greatest of modern thinke

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

Respect

But every great scripture, whether Hebrew, Indian, Persian,

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.

Beauty

For this reason, to study English literature without some ge

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.

Education

Is woman a religion? Well, perhaps you will have the chance

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.

Religion

All good work is done the way ants do things, little by litt

All good work is done the way ants do things, little by little.

Things Little Things

I feel like a white granular mass of amorphous crystals -- m

I feel like a white granular mass of amorphous crystals -- my formula appears to be isomeric with Spasmotoxin. My aurochloride precipitates into beautiful prismatic needles. My Platinochloride develops octahedron crystals, -- with a fine blue florescence. My physiological action is not indifferent. One millionth of a grain injected under the skin of a frog produced instantaneous death accompanied by an orange blossom odor.

Science

A great many things which in times of lesser knowledge we im

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.

Knowledge

The subject of Finnish poetry ought to have a special intere

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.

Poetry

It is true that short forms of poetry have been cultivated i

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.

Poetry

But what is after all the happiness of mere power? There is

But what is after all the happiness of mere power? There is a greater happiness possible than to be lord of heaven and earth that is the happiness of being truly loved.

Happiness

At last, in 1611, was made, under the auspices of King James

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.

Famous

Of course, the simple explanation of the fact is that marria

Of course, the simple explanation of the fact is that marriage is the most important act of man's life in Europe or America, and that everything depends upon it.

Marriage

Perhaps there is an idea among Japanese students that one ge

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.

Poetry

There is one type of ideal woman very seldom described in po

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.

Poetry