An open book with blank pages and a red ribbon bookmark rests on folded dark teal fabric.

Original artwork, not a still

Four Things

Henry van Dyke

Four things a man must learn to do If he would make his record true: To think without confusion clearly; To love his fellow-men sincerely; To act from honest motives purely; To trust in God and Heaven securely.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The four instructions join clear thought, sincere affection, honest action and religious trust into a picture of a well-lived life. Each asks for consistency between inward intention and outward conduct. The verse treats character as something to practise across several parts of life, rather than display in one gesture.

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