Quotations

"I always think of shade as being full of light. That is why I like to use the word shade rather than light and shadow. Shade seems to play over the thing, envelop it, better define it, while shadow seems to fall on the thing and stain the surface with darks."

— John French Sloan, American painter, died September 7, 1951

"But where, after all, would be the poetry of the sea were there no wild waves?"

— Joshua Slocum, Canadian sailor, born February 20, 1844

"Remember, Lord, my ship is small and thy sea is so wide!"

— Joshua Slocum, Canadian sailor, completed first solo circumnavigation of the globe, June 27, 1898

"I once knew a writer who, after saying beautiful things about the sea, passed through a Pacific hurricane, and he became a changed man."

— Joshua Slocum, Canadian sailor, died November 14, 1909

"To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you."

— Lewis Smedes, Christian theologian, born August 20, 1921

"Do not confuse hate with anger. Hate is a sign that we are sick and need to be healed. Anger is a sign that we are alive and well. Healthy anger drives us to do something to change what makes us angry."

— Lewis Smedes, Christian author, theologian, died December 19, 2002

"Never let go of that fiery sadness called desire."

— Patti Smith, American singer, born December 30, 1946

"An artist is somebody who enters into competition with God."

— Patti Smith, American singer, born December 30, 1946

"For everything bad, there's a million really exciting things, whether it's someone puts out a really great book, there's a new movie, there's a new detective, the sky is unbelievably golden, or you have the best cup of coffee you ever had in your life."

— Patti Smith, American singer, born December 30, 1946

"Never have I found the limits of the photographic potential. Every horizon, upon being reached, reveals another beckoning in the distance. Always, I am on the threshold."

— W. Eugene Smith, American photojournalist, born 1918

"My photographs at best hold only a small strength, but through them I would suggest and criticize and illuminate and try to give compassionate understanding. And through the passion given into my photographs (no matter how quiet) I would call out for a spiritualization that would create strength and healing and purpose, as teacher and surgeon and entertainer."

— W. Eugene Smith, American photojournalist, born 1918

"In music I still prefer the minor key, and in printing I like the light coming from the dark. I like pictures that surmount the darkness, and many of my photographs are that way."

— W. Eugene Smith, American photojournalist, born 1918

"I can’t stand these damn shows on museum walls with neat little frames, where you look at the images as if they were pieces of art. I want them to be pieces of life!"

— W. Eugene Smith, American photojournalist, born 1918

"A man who envies our family is a man who needs help."

— Yeardley Smith, French-American actress, born July 3, 1964