Inspirational Quotations

Inspirational Quotes by J. M. Barrie (Scottish Novelist)

J. M. Barrie (1860–1937,) properly Sir James Matthew Barrie, was a Scottish novelist and dramatist. He is most famous as the creator of Peter Pan, a mischievous boy who does not want to grow up.

Born in Kirriemuir, Angus, Barrie graduated from Edinburgh University in 1882, then settled in London and became a regular contributor to the St James’s Gazette and British Weekly. He wrote a series of autobiographical prose works, including The Little Minister (1891; dramatized 1897.) From 1890, he wrote for the theatre and established his reputation with works like Walker London (1892) and The Admirable Crichton (1902.)

Based on the imaginative games Barrie played with the boisterous Llewellyn-Davies boys, whom he met in Kensington Gardens, Barrie created his phenomenally successful children’s story Peter Pan (1904,) which remains a favorite Christmas pantomime. He continued his excursions into a fairyland in later plays such as Dear Brutus (1917) and Mary Rose (1920.)

From 1930, Barrie was the chancellor of Edinburgh University. He bequeathed all the rights to Peter Pan to London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital. Accordingly, the hospital has received royalties every time a production of the play is put on.

More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by J. M. Barrie

We are all failures—at least, all the best of us are.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Failure

That is ever the way. ‘Tis all jealousy to the bride and good wishes to the corpse.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Weddings, Marriage, Wishes

Heaven for climate, Hell for company.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Heaven

You have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by. Yes, but some of them are golden only because we let them slip by.
—J. M. Barrie

All you need is trust and a little bit of pixie dust.
—J. M. Barrie

Growing up is such a barbarous business, full of inconvenience… and pimples.
—J. M. Barrie

Dreams do come true, if we only wish hard enough, You can have anything in life if you will sacrifice everything else for it.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Desires, Dreams, Desire

We never understand how little we need in this world until we know the loss of it.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Understanding

For several days after my first book was published I carried it about in my pocket, and took surreptitious peeps at it to make sure the ink had not faded.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Books

The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another; and his humblest hour is when he compares the volume as it is with what he vowed to make it.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Humor, Life, Life and Living, Goal, Goals

You see, dear, it is not true that woman was made from man’s rib; she was really made from his funny bone.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Women

I’m youth, I’m joy, I’m a little bird that has broken out of the egg.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Youth, One liners

It’s a sort of bloom on a woman. If you have it, you don’t need to have anything else; and if you don’t have it, it doesn’t much matter what else you have.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Charm, Women

Oh, God, if I were sure I were to die tonight I would repent at once. it is the commonest prayer in all languages.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Prayer

God gave us memory that we might have roses in December.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: The Past, Memories, Memory

The printing press is either the greatest blessing or the greatest curse of modern times, sometimes one forgets which it is.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Books, Reading

Love is not blind; it is an extra eye, which shows us what is most worthy of regard.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Love

The most useless are those who never change through the years.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Change

Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Work, Jobs

You must have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by. Yes, but some of them are golden only because we let them slip.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Idleness, Dreams

Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Giving, Encouragement, Joy, Service, Kindness

Every man who is high up loves to think that he has done it all himself; and the wife smiles, and lets it go at that.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Achievement, Success & Failure

Failure is the path of least resistance.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Failure

Always be a little kinder than necessary.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Kindness, Compassion, Service

Oh the gladness of their gladness when they’re glad, And the sadness of their sadness when they’re sad; But the gladness of their gladness, and the sadness of their sadness, Are as nothing to their badness when they’re bad.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Sadness

Temper is a weapon that we hold by the blade.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Weapon, Anger

Let no one who loves be called unhappy. Even love unreturned has its rainbow.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Unhappiness

A safe but sometimes chilly way of recalling the past is to force open a crammed drawer. If you are searching for anything in particular you don’t find it, but something falls out at the back that is often more interesting.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Past, The Past

His lordship may compel us to be equal upstairs, but there will never be equality in the servants hall.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Service, Servants

When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies. And now when every new baby is born its first laugh becomes a fairy. So there ought to be one fairy for every boy or girl.
—J. M. Barrie
Topics: Babies, Beginnings

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