Frederick Saunders (librarian)

Frederick Saunders (14 August 1807 – 12 December 1902) was an English-born American librarian.

Quotes

Salad for the Solitary (New York: Lamport, Blakeman & Law, 1853)

Nonsense is to sense, as shade to light—it heightens effect.
- "The Talkative and the Taciturn", p. 39

How would that "excellent mystery"—wedded life, irradiate the world with its blessed influences, were the generous impulses and sentiments of courtship, but perpetuated in all their exuberant fullness during the sequel of marriage.
- "A Monologue on Matrimony", p. 67

True it is, as society is constituted, marriage becomes somewhat of a lottery—for all its votaries are either the victims of Cupid or cupidity; in either case, they are under the blinding influence of passion, and consequently but little subject to the control of reason.
- "A Monologue on Matrimony", pp. 68–69

My heart to you is given:
Oh, do give yours to me;
We'll lock them up together,
And throw away the key.
- "A Monologue on Matrimony", p. 75

Salad for the Social, (New York: De Witt & Davenport, 1856)

Dean Swift proposed to tax female beauty, and to leave every lady to rate her own charms. He said the tax would be cheerfully paid, and very productive.
- "The Toilet and Its Devotees", p. 96

Vanity, like laudanum, and other poisonous medicines, is beneficial in small, though injurious in large quantities. No man, who is not pleased with himself, even in a personal sense, can please others.
- "The Toilet and Its Devotees", p. 133

Mosaics (New York: Charles Scribner, 1859)

Whatever of goodness emanates from the soul, gathers its soft halo in the eyes; and, if the heart be a lurking place of crime, the eyes tell its evil tales.
- "'The Human Face Divine'", p. 144

A woman with a hazel eye never elopes from her husband; never chats scandal, never finds fault, never talks too much nor too little, always is an entertaining, intellectual, agreeable and lovely creature.
- "'The Human Face Divine'", p. 146

True beauty is in the mind; and the expression of the features depends more upon the moral nature than most people are aware of.
- "Single Blessedness", p. 203

Kind words are benedictions; they are not only instruments of power, but of benevolence and courtesy; blessings both to the hearer and speaker of them. They cost us less effort and produce usually much more profit than harsh words.
- "The Bright Side", p. 401

Stray Leaves of Literature (New York: Thomas Whittaker, 1888)

Music has a rhetoric of its own, often more eloquent than verbal utterance; but, allied to impassioned words, its combined power to control, to stir the feelings and emotions, is well nigh irresistible. Its martial strains fire the enthusiasm of the patriot to deeds of heroism in the cause of liberty; its plaintive and tender cadences vibrate with the thrill of affection, and the sympathetic bonds of domestic life; while its solemn peals awaken the heart to ecstasy and devotional rapture.
- "Ballad and Song Literature", p. 46

Charity, in whatever guise she appears, is the best-natured and the best-complexioned thing in the world.
- "Human Sympathy", p. 58

Faces are as legible as books, with this difference in their favor, that they may be perused in much less time than printed pages, and are less liable to be misunderstood.
- "Physiognomy", p. 85

Whatever of goodness emanates from the soul, gathers its soft halo in the eyes; and if the heart be a lurking-place of crime, the eyes are sure to betray the secret. A beautiful eye makes silence eloquent, a kind eye makes contradiction assent, an enraged eye makes beauty a deformity; so you see, forsooth, the little organ plays no inconsiderable, if not a dominant, part.
- "Physiognomy", p. 87

Character is the governing element in life, and is above genius.
- "Life's Little Day", p. 127

Kind words are benedictions. They are not only instruments of power, but of benevolence and courtesy; blessings both to the speaker and hearer of them.
- "Smiles and Tears", p. 181