Pollyanna Quotes

“What men and women need is encouragement. Their natural resisting powers should be strengthened, not weakened ... Instead of always harping on a man's faults, tell him of his virtues. Try to pull him out of his rut ... Hold up to him his better self, his real self that can dare and do and win out! ... People radiate what is in their minds and in their hearts.”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“Just breathing isn't living!”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“... there is something about everything that you can be glad about, if you keep hunting long enough to find it.”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“Oh, yes; the game was to just find something about everything to be glad about—no matter what 'twas”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“... if God took the trouble to tell us eight hundred times to be glad and rejoice, He must want us to do it—SOME.”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“What men and women need is encouragement. Their natural resisting powers should be strengthened, not weakened…. Instead of always harping on a man’s faults,tell him of his virtues. Try to pull him out of his rut of bad habits. Hold up to him his better self, his REAL self that can dare and do and win out! … The influence of a beautiful, helpful, hopeful character is contagious, and may revolutionize a whole town…. People radiate what is in their minds and in their hearts. If a man feels kindly and obliging, his neighbors will feel that way, too, before long.But if he scolds and scowls and criticizes—his neighbors will return scowl for scowl, and add interest! … When you look for the bad, expecting it, you will get it. When you know you will find the good—you will get that…”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“Oh, yes," nodded Pollyanna, emphatically. He [her father] said he felt better right away, that first day he thought to count 'em. He said if God took the trouble to tell us eight hundred times [in the Bible] to be glad and rejoice, He must want us to do it - SOME.”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“When you look for the bad, expecting it, you will get it. When you know you will find the good—you will get that....”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“And most generally there is something about everything that you can be glad about, if you keep hunting long enough to find it.”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“It'll be just lovely for you to play -- it'll be so hard. And there's so much more fun when it is hard!”
― Eleanor Hodgman Porter, Pollyanna

“Oh, but Aunt Polly, Aunt Polly, you haven't left me any time at all just to- to live.”
― Pollyanna Whittier, Pollyanna

“...she had been too busy wishing things were different to find much time to enjoy things as they were.”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“Miss Polly actually stamped her foot in irritation. "There you go like the rest," she shouted. "What game?"
At last Nancy told her all about the story of how the crutches arrived instead of a doll, and how Pollyanna's father had taught her that there was always something to be glad about.
Miss Polly couldn't believe it. "how can someone ever be glad of crutches?" she demanded to know.
"Simple" said Nancy. "In Pollyanna's case, she could be glad she didn't need them!”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“Oh, of course I'd be BREATHING all the time I was doing those things, Aunt Polly, but I wouldn't be living. You breathe all the time you're asleep, but you aren't living. I mean living—doing the things you want to do: playing outdoors, reading (to myself, of course), climbing hills, talking to Mr. Tom in the garden, and Nancy, and finding out all about the houses and the people and everything everywhere all through the perfectly lovely streets I came through yesterday. That's what I call living, Aunt Polly. Just breathing isn't living!”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“I was growlin' one day 'cause I was so bent up and crooked; an'what do ye s'pose the little thing said? ... She said I could be glad, anyhow, that I didn't have ter stoop so far ter do my weedin' - 'cause I was already bent part way over.”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“if God took the trouble to tell us eight hundred times to be glad and rejoice, He must want us to do it—SOME.”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“there is something about everything that you can be glad about, if you keep hunting long enough to find it.”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“Then you--weren't lovers?" Pollyanna's voice was tragic with dismay.
"Never!"
"And it isn't all coming out like a book? . . . Oh dear! And it was all going so splendidly," almost sobbed Pollyanna. "I'd have been so glad to come--with Aunt Polly."
"And you won't--now?" The man asked the question without turning his head.
"Of course not! I'm Aunt Polly's!”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“It's funny how dogs and cats know the insides of folks better than other folks do, isn't it?”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“In fact, I know that a 'nice live little boy' would be far better than - my skeleton in the closet; only - we aren't always willing to make the exchange. We are apt to still cling to - our skeletons, Pollyanna.”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“You see, when you’re hunting for the glad things, you sort of forget the other kind—like”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“child,”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“What men and women need is encouragement. Their natural resisting powers should be strengthened, not weakened.... Instead of always harping on a man’s faults, tell him of his virtues. Try to pull him out of his rut of bad habits. Hold up to him his better self, his real self that can dare and do and win out!... The influence of a beautiful, helpful, hopeful character is contagious, and may revolutionize a whole town.... People radiate what is in their minds and in their hearts. If a man feels kindly and obliging, his neighbors will feel that way, too, before long. But if he scolds and scowls and criticizes—his neighbors will return scowl for scowl, and add interest!...”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“What men and women need is encouragement. Their natural resisting powers should be strengthened, not weakened.... Instead of always harping on a man's faults, tell him of his virtues.”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“I wish I could prescribe her--and buy her--as I would a box of pills;--though if there gets to be many of her in the world, you and I might as well go to ribbon-selling and ditch-digging for all the money we'd get out of nursing and doctoring”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“...only- we aren't always willing to make the exchange. We are apt to still cling to- our skeletons.”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“O que a gente não conhece é sempre mais atraente do que aquilo que temos.”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“Oh, of course I'd be BREATHING all the time I was doing those things, Aunt Polly, but I wouldn't be living. You breathe all the time you're asleep, but you aren't living. I mean living—doing the things”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.' "'Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.' "'Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

“Well, really, Nancy, just because I happened to have a sister who was silly enough to marry and bring unnecessary children into a world that was already quite full enough, I can't see how I should particularly WANT to have the care of them myself. However, as I said before, I hope I know my duty. See that you clean the corners, Nancy," she finished sharply, as she left the room. "Yes, ma'am," sighed Nancy, picking up the half-dried pitcher—now so cold it must be rinsed again. In her own room, Miss Polly took out once more the letter which she had received two days before from the far-away Western town, and which had been so unpleasant a surprise to her. The letter was”
― Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna