To get the full value of a joy you must have somebody to divide it with
Source: Following the Equator, ch. 48 (1897)
Topic
Morgan's brief observation that if you have to ask the price you cannot afford it is one pole; Ruskin's claim that a little kindness is worth more than a great deal of money is the other. Locke on truth being none the better for being common, none the worse for being neglected. Darwin on the future's claim on the present when children are nearby. Corneille: the manner of giving is worth more than the gift. The collection examines value as a problem of perception and attention — the question is not only what things cost but what we actually find worth having, and whether what we pursue is proportionate to what it yields. Good for anyone suspecting a mismatch between the two.
To get the full value of a joy you must have somebody to divide it with
The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it
To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.
The real price of every thing, what every thing really costs to the man who wants to acquire it, is the toil and trouble of acquiring it.