Oliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmithwas an Irish novelist, playwright and poet, who is best known for his novel The Vicar of Wakefield, his pastoral poem The Deserted Village, and his plays The Good-Natur'd Manand She Stoops to Conquer. He is thought to have written the classic children's tale The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes...
NationalityIrish
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth10 November 1730
CountryIreland
soul weakness pleasure
And the weak soul, within itself unbless'd, Leans for all pleasure on another's breast.
book proportion new-books
In proportion as society refines, new books must ever become more necessary.
wisdom animal circles
The wisdom of the ignorant somewhat resembles the instinct of animals; it is diffused in but a very narrow sphere, but within the circle it acts with vigor, uniformity, and success.
book vices should
Books are necessary to correct the vices of the polite; but those vices are ever changing, and the antidote should be changed accordingly should still be new.
art easy lost
It is not easy to recover an art when once lost.
land limits splendid
How wide the limits stand Between a splendid and a happy land.
husband flames repose
To husband out life's taper at the close, And keep the flames from wasting by repose.
philosophy should increase
Philosophy ... should not pretend to increase our present stock, but make us economists of what we are possessed of.
book body pages
One writer, for instance, excels at a plan or a title page, another works away at the body of the book, and a third is a dab at an index.
giving-up add villainy
Villainy, when detected, never gives up, but boldly adds impudence to imposture.
water disappear drop-of-water
Our bounty, like a drop of water, disappears, when diffus'd too widely
philosophy philosopher minutes
To a philosopher no circumstance, however trifling, is too minute.
retirement age ease
How blest is he who crowns in shades like these A youth of labour with an age of ease!
running sweet drinking
There is one way by which a strolling player may be ever secure of success; that is, in our theatrical way of expressing it, to make a great deal of the character. To speak and act as in common life is not playing, nor is it what people come to see; natural speaking, like sweet wine, runs glibly over the palate and scarcely leaves any taste behind it; but being high in a part resembles vinegar, which grates upon the taste, and one feels it while he is drinking.