Skip to content

If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy. If it were merely challenging, that would be no problem. But I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.

— E. B. White

Another quote →

More quotes by E. B. White

Once in everyone's life there is apt to be a period when he is fully awake, instead of half asleep.

One Man's Meat (1942)

Necessity first mothered invention. Now invention has little ones of her own, and they look just like grandma.

I am a member of a party of one, and I live in an age of fear.

It is easier for a man to be loyal to his club than to his planet; the bylaws are shorter, and he is personally acquainted with the other members.

One Man's Meat (1942)

I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.

All E. B. White quotes →

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: E. B. White (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.