Louisa May Alcott Quote
Queen of my tub, I merrily sing,While the white foam rises high,And sturdily wash, and rinse, and wring,And fasten the clothes to dry; Then out in the free fresh air they swing,Under the sunny sky.I wish we could wash from our hearts and our soulsThe stains of the week away,And let water and air by their magic makeOurselves as pure as they; Then on the earth there would be indeedA glorious washing-day!Along the path of a useful lifeWill heart's-ease ever bloom; The busy mind has no time to thinkOf sorrow, or care, or gloom; And anxious thoughts may be swept awayAs we busily wield a broom.I am glad a task to me is givenTo labor at day by day;For it brings me health, and strength, and hope,And I cheerfully learn to say-Head, you may think; Heart, you may feel;But Hand, you shall work always!
Queen of my tub, I merrily sing,While the white foam rises high,And sturdily wash, and rinse, and wring,And fasten the clothes to dry; Then out in the free fresh air they swing,Under the sunny sky.I wish we could wash from our hearts and our soulsThe stains of the week away,And let water and air by their magic makeOurselves as pure as they; Then on the earth there would be indeedA glorious washing-day!Along the path of a useful lifeWill heart's-ease ever bloom; The busy mind has no time to thinkOf sorrow, or care, or gloom; And anxious thoughts may be swept awayAs we busily wield a broom.I am glad a task to me is givenTo labor at day by day;For it brings me health, and strength, and hope,And I cheerfully learn to say-Head, you may think; Heart, you may feel;But Hand, you shall work always!
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About Louisa May Alcott
Alcott's family suffered from financial difficulties, and while she worked to help support the family from an early age, she also sought an outlet in writing. She began to receive critical success for her writing in the 1860s. Early in her career, she sometimes used pen names such as A. M. Barnard, under which she wrote lurid short stories and sensation novels for adults that focused on passion and revenge.
Published in 1868, Little Women is set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts, and is loosely based on Alcott's childhood experiences with her three sisters, Abigail May Alcott Nieriker, Elizabeth Sewall Alcott, and Anna Alcott Pratt. The novel was well-received at the time and is still popular today among both children and adults. It has been adapted for stage plays, films, and television many times.
Alcott was an abolitionist and a feminist and remained unmarried throughout her life. She also spent her life active in reform movements such as temperance and women's suffrage. She died from a stroke in Boston on March 6, 1888, just two days after her father's death.