All human affairs follow nature's great analogue, the growth of vegetation. There are three periods of growth in every plant. The first, and slowest, is the invisible growth by the root; the second and much accelerated is the visible growth by the stem; but when root and stem have gathered their forces, there comes the third period, in which the plant quickly flashes into blossom and rushes into fruit.
Henry Ward BeecherAge and youth look upon life from the opposite ends of the telescope; it is exceedingly long,--it is exceedingly short.
Henry Ward BeecherIf there be any one whose power is in beauty, in purity, in goodness, it is a woman.
Henry Ward Beecher