Share this page: Men may be very learned, and yet very miserable; it is easy to be a deep geometrician, or a sublime astronomer, but very difficult to be a good man. I esteem, therefore, the traveller who instructs the heart, but despise him who only indulges the imagination. A man who leaves home to mend himself and others, is a philosopher; but he who goes from country to country, guided by the blind impulse of curiosity, is only a vagabond. -- The Citizen of the World (1762) Letter VII Where'er I roam, whatever realms I see, My heart untraveled fondly turns to thee; Still to my brother turns with ceaseless pain, And drags at each remove a lengthening chain. -- The Traveller (1764) Such is the patriot's boast, where'er we roam, His first, best country ever is, at home. -- The Traveller (1764) Pride in their port, defiance in their eye, I see the lords of humankind pass by. -- The Traveller (1764) Laws grind the poor, and rich men rule the law -- The Traveller (1764) I was ever of the opinion that the honest man who married and brought up a large family, did more service than he who continued single, and only talked of population. -- The Vicar of Wakefield (1766), opening lines I...chose a wife, as she did her wedding gown, not for a fine glossy surface, but such qualities as would wear well. -- The Vicar of Wakefield (1766), ch. 1 All our adventures were by the fire-side, and all our migrations from the blue bed to the brown. -- The Vicar of Wakefield (1766), ch. 1 That virtue which requires to be ever guarded is scarce worth the sentinel. -- The Vicar of Wakefield (1766), ch. 5 It seemed to be pretty plain, that they had more of love than matrimony in them. -- The Vicar of Wakefield (1766), ch. 16 The man recovered of the bite, The dog it was that died. -- The Vicar of Wakefield (1766), Ch. 17, An Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog, st. 8. When lovely woman stoops to folly, And finds too late that men betray, What charm can soothe her melancholy? What art can wash her guilt away? -- The Vicar of Wakefield (1766), Ch. 29, Song, st. 1 Sweet Auburn! loveliest village of the plain. -- The Deserted Village (1770) Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, Where wealth accumulates, and men decay; Princes and lords may flourish, or may fade; A breath can make them, as a breath has made; But a bold peasantry, their country's pride, When once destroyed, can never be supplied.Sweet Auburn! loveliest village of the plain. -- The Deserted Village (1770) His best companions, innocence and health; And his best riches, ignorance of wealth. -- The Deserted Village (1770) A man severe he was, and stern to view; I knew him well, and every truant knew: Well had the boding tremblers learned to trace The day's disasters in his morning face; Full well they laughed with counterfeited glee, At all his jokes, for many a joke had he; Full well the bust whisper, circling round, Conveyed the dismal tidings when he frowned; Yet he was kind; or if severe in aught, The love he bore to learning was in fault; The village all declared how much he knew; 'Twas certain he could write, and cipher too. -- The Deserted Village (1770) In arguing too, the parson owned his skill, For e'en though vanquished, he could argue still; While words of learned length, and thundering sound Amazed the gazing rustics ranged around; And still they gazed, and still the wonder grew, That one small head could carry all he knew. -- The Deserted Village (1770) In my time, the follies of the town crept slowly among us, but now they travel faster than a stagecoach. -- She Stoops to Conquer (1771) I love everything that's old: old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wines. -- She Stoops to Conquer (1771) The very pink of perfection. -- She Stoops to Conquer (1771) Let schoolmasters puzzle their brain, With grammar, and nonsense, and learning; Good liquor, I stoutly maintain, Gives genus a better discerning. -- She Stoops to Conquer (1771) I'll be with you in the squeezing of a lemon. -- She Stoops to Conquer (1771) A modest woman, dressed out in all her finery, is the most tremendous object of the whole creation. -- She Stoops to Conquer (1771) The first blow is half the battle. -- She Stoops to Conquer (1771) Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no fibs. -- She Stoops to Conquer (1771) Oh sir! I must not tell my age. They say women and music should never be dated. -- She Stoops to Conquer (1771) When they talked of their Raphaels, Correggios, and stuff, He shifted his trumpet and only took snuff. -- Of the painter Sir Joshua Reynolds. In: Retaliation (1774) Share this page:

The selection of the above quotes and the writing of the accompanying notes was performed by the author David Paul Wagner. About Us • Contact Us • Privacy • Terms of Use © 2005-23 Wide World of Quotes. All Rights Reserved.