In 1957, the prolific American author and journalist Laura Ingalls Wilder passed away. While she is no longer with us, her work lives on. Wilder is best known for her award-winning series Little House on the Prairie, which is based on her own experience growing up in the American midwest. Wilder’s writing centers around family, friends, an appreciation of nature, and perseverance. In a time when the world can seem so huge and overwhelming, Laura Ingalls Wilder reminds us that the truly important things in life are simple.
1.
“There’s no great loss without some small gain.”
Little House on the Prairie
2.
“Remember well, and bear in mind, a constant friend is hard to find.”
3.
“The true way to live is to enjoy every moment as it passes, and surely it is in the everyday things around us that the beauty of life lies.”
Laura Ingalls Wilder, Farm Journalist: Writings from the Ozarks
4.
“Suffering passes, while love is eternal.”
5.
“‘This earthly life is a battle,’ said Ma. ‘If it isn’t one thing to contend with, it’s another. It always has been so, and it always will be. The sooner you make up your mind to that, the better off you are, and more thankful for your pleasures.'”
Little Town on the Prairie
6.
“I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.”
7.
“Every job is good if you do your best and work hard. A man who works hard stinks only to the ones that have nothing to do but smell.”
8.
“As the years pass, I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common, everyday blessings of our common everyday lives for which we should be particularly grateful. They are the things that fill our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness – just the pure air to breathe and the strength to breath it; just warmth and shelter and home folks; just plain food that gives us strength; the bright sunshine on a cold day; and a cool breeze when the day is warm.”
Writings to Young Women from Laura Ingalls Wilder: On Wisdom and Virtues
9.
“We’d never get anything fixed to suit us if we waited for things to suit us before we started.”
By the Shores of Silver Lake
10.
“A good laugh overcomes more difficulties and dissipates more dark clouds than any other one thing.”
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