William M. Thackeray
William M. Thackeray
coming man pity senses whether
I never know whether to pity or congratulate a man on coming to his senses.
bad harm knows mischief
Everyone knows the harm the bad do, but who knows the mischief done by the good?
bread earn tastes
. . . it tastes well, the bread which you earn yourself.
author engaging familiar good powers writers-and-writing
The two most engaging powers of a good author are to make new things familiar and familiar things new.
beauty generous happiness kindness spread
What peace, what love, what truth, what beauty, what happiness for all, what generous kindness for you and me, are here spread out!
ah fate great small vanity weak
Ah vanity of vanities! How wayward the decrees of fate are, How very weak the very wise, How very small the very great are
ah fate great small vanity weak
Ah vanity of vanities! How wayward the decrees of fate are, How very weak the very wise, How very small the very great are
destinies life nursery training
Life is the soul's nursery - Its training place for the destinies of eternity.
blew brains passion silly
So he sighed and pined and ogled,And his passion boiled and bubbled,Till he blew his silly brains out,And no more was by it troubled.
blew brains passion silly till
So he sighed and pined and ogled, And his passion boiled and bubbled, Till he blew his silly brains out, And no more was by it troubled.
absurd born far haughty ladies lady laughed looks pedigree people princess reaching sensible themselves
She looks so haughty that I should have thought her a princess at the very least, with a pedigree reaching as far back as the Deluge. But this lady was no better born than many other ladies who give themselves airs; and all sensible people laughed at her absurd pretensions.
conviction gone great mind purpose work
I have long gone about with a conviction on my mind that I had a work to do -- a Work, if you like, with a great W; a Purpose to fulfil.
expenses gentleman lives question word
When we say of a gentleman that he lives elegantly on nothing a year, we use the word "nothing" to signify something unknown; meaning, simply, that we don't know how the gentleman in question defrays the expenses of his establishment.
appreciation excellence motivational next
Next to excellence, comes the appreciation of it.