Indulged habits of dependence create habits of indolence, and indolence opens the portal to petty errors, to many degrading habits, and to vice and crime with their attendant train of miseries. – Dorothea Dix
Man is not made better by being degraded; he is seldom restrained from crime by harsh measures, except the principle of fear predominates in his character, and then he is never made radically better for its influence. – Dorothea Dix
I was early taught by sorrow to shed tears, and now when sudden joy lights up, or any unexpected sorrow strikes my heart, I find it difficult to repress the full and swelling tide of feeling. – Dorothea Dix
‘Know,’ says a wise writer, the historian of kings, ‘Know the men that are to be trusted’; but how is this to be? The possession of knowledge involves both time and opportunities. Neither of these are ‘handservants at command.’ – Dorothea Dix
What an enthusiastic devotion is that which sends a man from the attractions of home, the ties of neighbourhood, the bonds of country, to range plains, valleys, hills, mountains, for a new flower. – Dorothea Dix
I must study alone, as I am condemned to do every thing alone, I believe, in this life. – Dorothea Dix
We are not sent into this world mainly to enjoy the loveliness therein, nor to sit us down in passive ease; no, we were sent here for action. The soul that seeks to do the will of God with a pure heart, fervently, does not yield to the lethargy of ease. – Dorothea Dix
Rules must be established and enforced, and, as numbers are increased in prisons, the necessity for vigilance increases. These rules, let it be understood, may be kindly while firmly enforced. I would never suffer any exhibition of ill-temper or an arbitrary exercise of authority. – Dorothea Dix
The olive branch has been consecrated to peace, palm branches to victory, the laurel to conquest and poetry, the myrtle to love and pleasure, the cypress to mourning, and the willow to despondency. – Dorothea Dix
I would be cautious in embracing or rejecting doctrines. Had they been essential to our salvation, they would have been more explicitly declared in the Gospels, where we are so well taught the practice of every good word and work. – Dorothea Dix
All my habits through life have been singularly removed from any condition of reliance on others, and the feeling – right or wrong – that aloneness is my proper position has prevailed since my early childhood, no doubt nourished and strengthened by many and quick-following bereavements. – Dorothea Dix
With care and patience, people may accomplish things which, to an indolent person, would appear impossible. – Dorothea Dix
They say, ‘Nothing can be done here!’ I reply, ‘I know no such word in the vocabulary I adopt!’ – Dorothea Dix
Your minds may now be likened to a garden, which will, if neglected, yield only weeds and thistles; but, if cultivated, will produce the most beautiful flowers, and the most delicious fruits. – Dorothea Dix
The duties of a teacher are neither few nor small, but they elevate the mind and give energy to the character. – Dorothea Dix
I shall try and effect all that is before me to perform; and God, I think, will surely give me strength for His work so long as He directs my line of duty. – Dorothea Dix
Time passed solely in the pursuit of pleasure leaves no solid enjoyment for the future; but from the hours you spend in reading and studying useful books, you will gather a golden harvest in future years. – Dorothea Dix
There is, I think, great difficulty in writing of one’s self: it is almost impossible to present subjects where the chief actor must be conspicuous and not seem to be, or really be, egotistical. – Dorothea Dix
The fact is that, in all prisons everywhere, cruelties on the one hand and injudicious laxity of discipline on the other have at times appeared and will, at intervals, be renewed except the most vigilant oversight is maintained. – Dorothea Dix
Jasmine, the name of which signifies fragrance, is the emblem of delicacy and elegance. It is reared with difficulty in New England, but at the South, puts forth all its graces. – Dorothea Dix
A virtuous character is likened to an unblemished flower. Piety is a fadeless bud that half opens on earth and expands through eternity. Sweetness of temper is the odor of fresh blooms, and the amaranth flowers of pure affection open but to bloom forever. – Dorothea Dix
It is of no use to commit whole pages to memory, merely to recite them once without hesitation; you must think of the meaning more than the words – of the ideas more than the language. – Dorothea Dix