Quotes from Thomas Carlyle

Dante Alighieri] is world-great not because he is world-wide but because he is world-deep.

Everywhere immeasurable Democracy rose monstrous, loud, blatant, inarticulate as the voice of Chaos.

Our '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.

Keep not standing fix'd and rooted, Briskly venture, briskly roam; Head and hand, where'er thou foot it, And stout heart are still at home. In each land the sun does visit We are gay, whate'er betide: To give room for wandering is it That the world was made so wide.

Democracy, on this new occasion, finds all Kings conscious that they are but Play-actors.

Al wat de mensheid heeft gedaan, gedacht, gewonnen, of is geweest, dat ligt als door toverkunst vastgelegd in boeken.

The Universe itself is a Monarchy and Hierarchy; large liberty of "voting" there, all manner of choice, utmost free-will, but with conditions inexorable and immeasurable annexed to every exercise of the same. A most free commonwealth of "voters;" but with Eternal Justice to preside over it, Eternal Justice enforced by Almighty Power!

In Büchern liegt die Seele aller gewesenen Zeit.«

A Good Book is the purest essence of a Human Soul ''.

A well-written Life is almost as rare as a well-spent one. – Thomas Carlyle

I think Scandinavian Paganism, to us here, is more interesting than any other. It is, for one thing, the latest; it continued in these regions of Europe till the eleventh century; 800 years ago the Norwegians were still worshippers of Odin. It is interesting also as the creed of our fathers; the men whose blood still runs in our veins, whom doubtless we still resemble in so many ways.

I pored over them," says he, "driving my cart or walking to labor, song by song, verse by verse, carefully noticing the true, tender or sublime, from affectation and fustian.

Polemical divinity," says he to Dr. Moore in 1787, "about this time was putting the country half mad; and I, ambitious of shining in conversation-parties on Sundays, at funerals, etc., used to puzzle Calvinism with so much heat and indiscretion, that I raised a hue-and-cry of heresy against me, which has not ceased to this hour.

It is absolutely indispensable, for most people, especially for the like of me, so thin-skinned and so confused at being, to get into perfect seclusion of mind from time to time and to be well alone

Men seldom, or rather never for a length of time and deliberately, rebel against anything that does not deserve rebelling against.

For the one enemy we have in this Universe is Stupidity, Darkness of Mind; of which darkness, again, there are many sources, every sin a source, and probably self-conceit the chief source. Darkness of mind, in every kind and variety, does to a really tragic extent abound: but of all the kinds of darkness, surely the Pedant darkness, which asserts and believes itself to be light, is the most formidable to mankind!

Of the things which man can do or make here below, by far the most momentous, wonderful and worthy are the things we call Books! –

Human Intelligence means little for most of us but Beaver Contrivance, which produces spinning-mules, cheap cotton, and large fortunes. Wisdom, unless it give us railway scrip, is not wise.

The Great Man was always as lightning out of Heaven; the rest of men waited for him like fuel, and then they too would flame.

Istoria este distilarea zvonurilor.

Find in any country the Ablest Man that exists there; raise him to the supreme place, and loyally reverence him: you have a perfect government for that country; no ballot-box, parliamentary eloquence, voting, constitution-building, or other machinery whatsoever can improve it a whit.

Man is a tool-using animal. Without tools he is nothing, with tools he is all.

A man perfects himself by working. Foul jungles are cleared away, fair seed-fields rise instead, and stately cities; and with the man himself first ceases to be a jungle, and foul unwholesome desert thereby. The man is now a man.

To prosper in this world, to gain felicity, victory and improvement, either for a man or a nation, there is but one thing requisite, That the man or nation can discern what the true regulations of the Universe are in regard to him and his pursuit, and can faithfully and steadfastly follow these.