“There is a great discovery still to be made in literature, that of paying literary men by the quantity they do not write.”

Thomas Carlyle
Submitted by Quonation |Category: Literature
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“In the long-run every Government is the exact symbol of its People, with their wisdom and unwisdom; we have to say, Like People like Government.”

Thomas Carlyle
Submitted by Quonation |Category: Government
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“Men are to be guided only by their self-interests. Good government is a good balancing of these; and, except a keen eye and appetite for self-interest, requires no virtue in any quarter. To both parties it is emphatically a machine: to the discontented, a “taxing- machine;” to the contented, a “machine for securing property.” Its duties and its faults are not those of a father, but of an active parish-constable.”

Thomas Carlyle
Submitted by Quonation |Category: Government
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“Happy the people whose annals are vacant.”

Thomas Carlyle
Submitted by Quonation |Category: History
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“History, a distillation of rumour.”

Thomas Carlyle
Submitted by Quonation |Category: History
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“Humor has justly been regarded as the finest perfection of poetic genius.”

Thomas Carlyle
Submitted by Quonation |Category: Humor
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“True humor springs not more from the head than from the heart. It is not contempt; its essence is love. It issues not in laughter, but in still smiles, which lie far deeper.”

Thomas Carlyle
Submitted by Quonation |Category: Humor
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“A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge.”

Thomas Carlyle
Submitted by Quonation |Category: Love
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“Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.”

Thomas Carlyle
Submitted by Quonation |Category: Business
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“The work an unknown good man has done is like a vein of water flowing hidden underground, secretly making the ground green.”

Thomas Carlyle
Submitted by Quonation |Category: Business
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“Blessed is he who has found his work; let him ask no other blessedness.”

Thomas Carlyle
Submitted by Quonation |Category: Business
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“For the “superior morality” of which we hear so much, we too would desire to be thankful: at the same time, it were but blindnessto deny that this “superior morality” is properly rather an “inferior criminality” produced not by greater love of Virtue, but by greater perfection of Police; and of that far subtler and stronger Police, called Public Opinion.”

Thomas Carlyle
Submitted by Quonation |Category: Morality
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“But the whim we have of happiness is somewhat thus. By certain valuations, and averages, of our own striking, we come upon some sort of average terrestrial lot; this we fancy belongs to us by nature, and of indefeasible rights. It is simple payment of our wages, of our deserts; requires neither thanks nor complaint…. Foolish soul! What act of legislature was there that thou shouldst be happy? A little while ago thou hadst no right to be at all.”

Thomas Carlyle
Submitted by Quonation |Category: Happiness
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“Twenty-seven millions, mostly fools.”

Thomas Carlyle
Submitted by Quonation |Category: General
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“Democracy will prevail when men believe the vote of Judas as good as that of Jesus Christ.”

Thomas Carlyle
Submitted by Quonation |Category: General
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“No sadder proof can be given of a person’s own tiny stature, than their disbelief in great people.”

Thomas Carlyle
Submitted by Quonation |Category: Criticism
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“A man cannot make a pair of shoes rightly unless he do it in a devout manner.”

Thomas Carlyle
Submitted by Quonation |Category: General
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“The courage we desire and prize is not the courage to die decently, but to live manfully.”

Thomas Carlyle
Submitted by Quonation |Category: Courage
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“The dust of controversy is merely the falsehood flying off.”

Thomas Carlyle
Submitted by Quonation |Category: General
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“All great peoples are conservative.”

Thomas Carlyle
Submitted by Quonation |Category: General