To us who are Christians, is it not a solemn, but a delightful thought, that perhaps nothing but the opaque bodily eye prevents us from beholding the gate which is open just before us; and nothing but the dull ear prevents us from hearing the ringing of those bells of joy which welcome us to the heavenly land?
—Henry Ward Beecher (1813–87) American Clergyman, Writer
I would not give one moment of heaven for all the joy and riches of the world, even if it lasted for thousands and thousands of years.
—Martin Luther (1483–1546) German Protestant Theologian
If God hath made this world so fair, where sin and death abound, how beautiful, beyond compare, will paradise be found.
—James Montgomery (1771–1854) English Hymn writer, Poet, Editor, Humanitarian
Heaven ne’er helps the man who will not act.
—Sophocles (495–405 BCE) Ancient Greek Dramatist
Heaven to me’s a fair blue stretch of sky, earth’s jest a dusty road.
—John Masefield (1878–1967) English Poet, Novelist, Playwright
The philosopher is Nature’s pilot. And there you have our difference: to be in hell is to drift: to be in heaven is to steer.
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) Irish Playwright
A single prayer moves heaven.
—Japanese Proverb
Heaven is under our feet, as well as over our heads.
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–62) American Philosopher
In Heaven all the interesting people are missing.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German Philosopher, Scholar, Writer
The Word is the master key for the whole world, inasmuch as through its potency the doors of the hearts of men, which in reality are the doors of heaven, are unlocked.
—Baha’u’llah (1817–92) Founder of the Islamic Baha’i Movement
We send missionaries to China so the Chinese can get to heaven, but we won’t let them into our country.
—Pearl S. Buck (1892–1973) American Novelist, Human Rights Activist
How well I have learned that there is no fence to sit on between heaven and hell. There is a deep, wide gulf, a chasm, and in that chasm is no place for any man.
—Johnny Cash (1932–2003) American Country Music Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist
If people would forget about utopia! When rationalism destroyed heaven and decided to set it up here on earth, that most terrible of all goals entered human ambition. It was clear there’d be no end to what people would be made to suffer for it.
—Nadine Gordimer (1923–2014) South African Novelist, Short-Story Writer
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the earth is shows his handiwork.
—The Holy Bible Scripture in the Christian Faith
Look for me in the nurseries of Heaven.
—Francis Thompson (1859–1907) English Poet, Ascetic
Nothing is further than earth from heaven, and nothing is nearer than heaven to earth.
—David Hare (b.1947) English Dramatist, Director, Film-Maker
The heavens and the earth and all that is between them, do you think they were created in jest?
—The Holy Quran Sacred Scripture of Islam
If you have not chosen the Kingdom of God first, it will in the end make no difference what you have chosen instead.
—William Law (1686–1761) English Clergyman
Heaven gives its glimpses only to those not in position to look too close.
—Robert Frost (1874–1963) American Poet
You don’t go to heaven in a carriage.
—Italian Proverb
The love of heaven makes one heavenly.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
Smile… heaven is watching!
—African Proverb
Great Spirit, give to me a heaven not so large as yours but large enough for me.
—Emily Dickinson (1830–86) American Poet
Poetry moves heaven and earth.
—Japanese Proverb
The “kingdom of Heaven” is a condition of the heart—not something that comes “upon the earth” or “after death.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German Philosopher, Scholar, Writer
We are as near to heaven as we are far from self, and far from the love of a sinful world.
—Samuel Rutherford (1600–61) Scottish Presbyterian Theologian, Author
He who sees heaven in the water sees the fishes in the trees.
—Chinese Proverb
Men see only the present; heaven sees the future.
—Chinese Proverb
You forget that the kingdom of heaven suffers violence: and the kingdom of heaven is like a woman.
—James Joyce (1882–1941) Irish Novelist, Poet
Earth gets its price for what Earth gives us,
The beggar is taxed for a corner to die in,
The priest hath his fee who comes and shrives us,
We bargain for the graves we lie in;
At the devil’s booth are all things sold,
Each ounce of dross costs its ounce of gold;
For a cap and bells our lives we pay.
Bubbles we buy with a whole soul’s tasking,
‘Tis heaven alone that is given away,
‘Tis only God may be had for the asking,
No price is set on the lavish summer;
June may be had by the poorest comer.
—James Russell Lowell (1819–91) American Poet, Critic