edward-gibbon Quotes About history Page 3

“Yet the people, and even the clergy, incapable of forming any rational judgment of the business of peace and war, presumed to arraign the policy of Stilicho, who so often vanquished, so often surrounded, and so often dismissed the implacable enemy of the republic. The first moment of the public safety is devoted to gratitude and joy; but the second is diligently occupied by envy and calumny.”

Source: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Edited and Abridged): Abridged Edition

“These idle disputants overlooked the invariable laws of nature, which have connected peace with innocence, plenty with industry, and safety with valour.”

Law History Industry Safety Connected Plenty Innocence Idle Laws Of Nature Roman Empire Overlooked Valour

Book:Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Source: Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“The incapacity of a weak and distracted government may often assume the appearance and produce the effects of a treasonable correspondence with the public enemy. If Alaric himself had been introduced into the council of Ravenna, he would probably have advised the same measures which were actually pursued by the ministers of Honorius.”

Ifs May Government Enemy History Effects Produce Weak Assuming Appearance Ministers Council Distracted Pursued Roman Empire Correspondence Incapacity Public Enemies

Book:The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Edited and Abridged): Abridged Edition

Source: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Edited and Abridged): Abridged Edition

“The ancients were destitute of many of the conveniences of life which have been invented or improved by the progress of industry; and the plenty of glass and linen has diffused more real comforts among the modern nations of Europe than the senators of Rome could derive from all the refinements of pompous or sensual luxury.”

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“In populous cities, which are the seat of commerce and manufactures, the middle ranks of inhabitants, who derive their subsistence from the dexterity or labour of their hands, are commonly the most prolific, the most useful, and, in that sense, the most respectable part of the community.”

Hands Community Cities History Middle Seats Labour Commerce Respectable Roman Empire Subsistence Dexterity

Book:The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“At the hour of midnight the Salerian gate was silently opened, and the inhabitants were awakened by the tremendous sound of the Gothic trumpet. Eleven hundred and sixty-three years after the foundation of Rome, the Imperial city, which had subdued and civilised so considerable a part of mankind, was delivered to the licentious fury of the tribes of Germany and Scythia.”

Years Three Sound Hours Cities History Mankind Hundred Foundation Germany Gates Rome Three Years Sixty Tribes Midnight Fury Gothic Eleven Awakened Trumpets Roman Empire Civilised

Author:Edward Gibbon

“The brutal soldiers satisfied their sensual appetites without consulting either the inclination or the duties of their female captives; and a nice question of casuistry was seriously agitated, Whether those tender victims, who had inflexibly refused their consent to the violation which they sustained, had lost, by their misfortune, the glorious crown of virginity. There were other losses indeed of a more substantial kind and more general concern.”

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“There exists in human nature a strong propensity to depreciate the advantages, and to magnify the evils, of the present times.”

Humans Evil Strong History Human Nature Advantage Roman Empire Propensity Present Time Depreciate

Book:The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volume II: A.D. 395 to A.D. 1185 (A Modern Library E-Book)

Source: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volume II: A.D. 395 to A.D. 1185 (A Modern Library E-Book)

“In less than seven years the vestiges of the Gothic invasion were almost obliterated, and the city appeared to resume its former splendour and tranquillity. The venerable matron replaced her crown of laurel, which had been ruffled by the storms of war, and was still amused in the last moment of her decay with the prophecies of revenge, of victory, and of eternal dominion.”

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“But the desire of obtaining the advantages, and of escaping the burthens, of political society, is a perpetual and inexhaustible source of discord; nor can it reasonably be presumed that the restoration of British freedom was exempt from tumult and faction. The pre-eminence of birth and fortune must have been frequently violated by bold and popular citizens; and the haughty nobles, who complained that they were become the subjects of their own servants, would sometimes regret the reign of an arbitrary monarch.”

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“The division of the Roman world between the sons of Theodosius marks the final establishment of the empire of the East, which, from the reign of Arcadius to the taking of Constantinople by the Turks, subsisted one thousand and fifty-eight years in a state of premature and perpetual decay.”

Source: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volume II: A.D. 395 to A.D. 1185 (A Modern Library E-Book)

“The pastoral labours of the archbishop of Constantinople provoked and gradually united against him two sorts of enemies; the aspiring clergy, who envied his success, and the obstinate sinners, who were offended by his reproofs. When Chrysostom thundered from the pulpit of St. Sophia against the degeneracy of the Christians, his shafts were spent among the crowd, without wounding or even marking the character of any individual.”

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“Such events may be disbelieved or disregarded; but the charity of a bishop, Acacius of Amida, whose name might have dignified the saintly calendar, shall not be lost in oblivion.”

May Might Names Lost History Events Charity Oblivion Bishops Calendars Roman Empire Disregarded

Book:The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“The union of the Roman empire was dissolved; its genius was humbled in the dust; and armies of unknown barbarians, issuing from the frozen regions of the North, had established their victorious reign over the fairest provinces of Europe and Africa.”

History Genius Europe Army Unions Dust Empires Regions Reign Frozen Provinces Barbarians Roman Empire

Book:The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“The laws of war, that restrain the exercise of national rapine and murder, are founded on two principles of substantial interest: the knowledge of the permanent benefits which may be obtained by a moderate use of conquest, and a just apprehension lest the desolation which we inflict on the enemy's country may be retaliated on our own. But these considerations of hope and fear are almost unknown in the pastoral state of nations.”

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“If all the barbarian conquerors had been annihilated in the same hour, their total destruction would not have restored the empire of the West: and if Rome still survived, she survived the loss of freedom, of virtue, and of honour.”

Ifs Stills Hours Loss History Virtue Destruction West Empires Honour Rome Survived Barbarians Roman Empire Conqueror

Book:The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“The imprudent Maximus disregarded these salutary considerations: he gratified his resentment and ambition; he saw the bleeding corpse of Valentinian at his feet; and he heard himself saluted Emperor by the unanimous voice of the senate and people. But the day of his inauguration was the last day of his happiness.”

People Lasts Voice History Saws Heard Feet Ambition Consideration Senate Resentment Corpses Emperor Bleeding Roman Empire Last Day Inauguration Disregarded

Book:History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire V3: the History Focus

Source: History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire V3: the History Focus

“The theologian may indulge the pleasing task of describing Religion as she descended from Heaven, arrayed in her native purity. A more melancholy duty is imposed on the historian. He must discover the inevitable mixture of error and corruption which she contracted in a long residence upon Earth, among a weak and degenerate race of beings.”

Source: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Edited and Abridged): Abridged Edition

“The voice of history is often little more than the organ of hatred or flattery.”

Littles Voice History Hatred Organs Flattery

Book:History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire V1: the History Focus

Source: History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire V1: the History Focus

“As long as mankind shall continue to bestow more liberal applause on their destroyers than on their benefactors, the thirst of military glory will ever be the vice of the most exalted characters.”

Long War Character History Mankind Military Glory Vices Thirst Applause Exalted Roman Empire Total War Destroyers Benefactors

Book:The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“Truth, naked, unblushing truth, the first virtue of all serious history, must be the sole recommendation of this personal narrative.”

Firsts History Virtue Serious Naked Narrative Sole Autobiography Recommendations

Book:The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“The historian must have some conception of how men who are not historians behave.”

Men History Behave Conception Historian

Author:Edward Gibbon

“If a man were called to fix the period in the history of the world during which the condition of the human race was most happy and prosperous, he would, without hesitation, name that which elapsed from the death of Domitian to the accession of Commodus.”

Ifs Men World Humans Names Race History Conditions Periods Historical Human Race World History Prosperous Hesitation Roman Empire

Author:Edward Gibbon

“The value of money has been settled by general consent to express our wants and our property, as letters were invented to express our ideas; and both these institutions, by giving a more active energy to the powers and passions of human nature, have contributed to multiply the objects they were designed to represent.”

Want Giving Humans Has Beens Ideas Values Passion Energy History Human Nature Objects Letters Institutions Property Active Consent Roman Empire Value Of Money

Book:The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

“It is scarcely possible that the eyes of contemporaries should discover in the public felicity the latent causes of decay and corruption. This long peace, and the uniform government of the Romans, introduced a slow and secret poison into the vitals of the empire. The minds of men were gradually reduced to the same level, the fire of genius was extinguished, and even the military spirit evaporated.”

Men Should Mind Long Government Eye Spirit Causes Levels Secret History Fire Military Genius Corruption Poison Empires Decay Uniforms Roman Empire Felicity Latent

Author:Edward Gibbon

“Hope, the best comfort of our imperfect condition, was not denied to the Roman slave; and if he had any opportunity of rendering himself either useful or agreeable, he might very naturally expect that the diligence and fidelity of a few years would be rewarded with the inestimable gift of freedom.”

Ifs Years Might Would Be Opportunity History Conditions Comfort Slave Denied Imperfect Fidelity Diligence Roman Empire Rendering

Book:The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Edited and Abridged): Abridged Edition

Source: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Edited and Abridged): Abridged Edition

“A warlike nation like the Germans, without either cities, letters, arts, or money, found some compensation for this savage state in the enjoyment of liberty. Their poverty secured their freedom, since our desires and our possessions are the strongest fetters of despotism.”

Source: The history of the decline and fall of the Roman empire, with notes by Milman and Guizot. Ed. by W. Smith

“The urgent consideration of the public safety may undoubtedly authorize the violation of every positive law. How far that or any other consideration may operate to dissolve the natural obligations of humanity and justice, is a doctrine of which I still desire to remain ignorant.”

May Stills Law Desire Humanity Natural Justice History Safety Obligation Doctrine Ignorant Consideration Urgent Violation Roman Empire Very Positive Public Safety

Book:The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire:

Source: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire:

Edward Gibbon Quotes

Filter quotes by topic

Famous Edward Gibbon Quotes