I am more afraid of deserving criticism than of receiving…

I am more afraid of deserving criticism than of receiving it. I stand in awe of my own opinion. The secret demerits of which we alone, perhaps, are conscious, are often more difficult to bear than those which have been publicly censured in us, and thus in some degree atoned for.

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Kavanagh : A Tale (1849) Ch. 30

Other Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Quotes

Trust no future, howe’er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act, act in the living present!
Heart within, and God o’erhead! - View Quote Details on Trust no future, howe’er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its…
The holiest of all holidays are those
Kept by ourselves in silence and apart;
The secret anniversaries of the heart,
When the full river of feeling overflows. - View Quote Details on The holiest of all holidays are those
Kept by ourselves in…
By the shores of Gitche Gumee,
By the shining Big-Sea-Water,
Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,
Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis. - View Quote Details on By the shores of Gitche Gumee,
By the shining Big-Sea-Water,
Stood the…
A boy’s will is the wind’s will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts. - View Quote Details on A boy’s will is the wind’s will,
And the thoughts of…
Nothing useless is, or low;
Each thing in its place is best;
And what seems but idle show
Strengthens and supports the rest. - View Quote Details on Nothing useless is, or low;
Each thing in its place is…
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time. - View Quote Details on Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our…
Standing, with reluctant feet,
Where the brook and river meet,
Womanhood and childhood fleet! - View Quote Details on Standing, with reluctant feet,
Where the brook and river meet,
Womanhood and…
There was a little girl,
Who had a little curl,
Right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good,
She was very good indeed,
But when she was bad she was horrid. - View Quote Details on There was a little girl,
Who had a little curl,
Right in…
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Finds us further than to-day. - View Quote Details on Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or…
God sent his Singers upon earth
With songs of sadness and of mirth,
That they might touch the hearts of men,
And bring them back to heaven again. - View Quote Details on God sent his Singers upon earth
With songs of sadness and…