quote · Legacy record
If Spring came but once in a century, instead of once a year, or burst forth with the sound of an earthquake, and not in silence, what wonder and expectation there would be in all hearts to behold the miraculous change! But now the silent succession suggests nothing but necessity. To most men only the cessation of the miracle would be miraculous and the perpetual exercise of God’s power seems less wonderful than its withdrawal would be.
If Spring came but once in a century, instead of once a year, or burst forth with the sound of an earthquake, and not in silence, what wonder and expectation there would be in all hearts to behold the miraculous change! But now the silent succession suggests nothing but necessity. To most men only the cessation of the miracle would be miraculous and the perpetual exercise of God’s power seems less wonderful than its withdrawal would be.
Approximate author period: c. 1844 AD · industrial
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- Author or tradition
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Attribution: attributed - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Approximate author period: c. 1844 AD · industrial
Approximate author-period anchor from life dates 1807 to 1882; Wikidata Q152513, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q152513 (accessed 2026-10-08). Not a quotation composition date.
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Supplied reference C; CSV row 333613; supplied attribution, independently unverified
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