Helen Keller may have been blind, but judging by the words she left behind as an author, political activist and author it’s clear that she saw the world very clearly indeed. Born on 27th June 1880 in Alabama, Helen Keller contracted a disease as a baby that left her both blind and deaf.
A proficient reader of Braille, Helen Keller was a keen lover of books and literature and has become an advocate for reading, and a prominent figure celebrated across the US where 27th June is Helen Keller Day.
With twelve published books, Keller has plenty of quotes to choose from, here are ten of our favourites for you from the lady who said ‘Literature is my Utopia’.
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.
Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.
Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.
What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, For all that we love deeply becomes a part of us.
The highest result of education is tolerance.
People don’t like to think, if one thinks, one must reach conclusions. Conclusions are not always pleasant.
Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all — the apathy of human beings.
We bereaved are not alone. We belong to the largest company in all the world–the company of those who have known suffering.
The only thing worse than being blind is having sight and no vision.
Literature is my Utopia. Here I am not disenfranchised. No barrier of the senses shuts me out from the sweet, gracious discourses of my book friends. They talk to me without embarrassment or awkwardness.
What a remarkable woman Helen Keller was, and if you’d like what you have just read and would like to know more about this American icon then I can highly recommend The Story of My Life by Helen Keller, which is a fantastic and insightful read.
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