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Horace Walpole Quotes

Politician

Horace Walpole was an English politician, writer, and critic, born on September 24, 1717, and died on March 2, 1797. He is best known for his contributions to literature and the arts, particularly for his role in the revival of Gothic novels.

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Famous Horace Walpole Quotes

“I sit with my toes in a brook, And if any one axes forwhy? I hits them a rap with my crook, For 'tis sentiment does it, says I.”

Ifs Doe Rap Sentiments Sensibility Toes Brooks Axes Crooks

Author:Horace Walpole

“What is called chance is the instrument of Providence and the secret agent that counteracts what men call wisdom, and preserves order and regularity, and continuation in the whole, for ... I firmly believe, notwithstanding all our complaints, that almost every person upon earth tastes upon the totality more happiness than misery; and therefore if we could correct the world to our fancies, and with the best intentions imaginable, probably we should only produce more misery and confusion.”

Source: The letters of Horace Walpole: fourth earl of Orford

“My aversion to them...springs from the perniciousness of that sect to society-I hate Papists, as a man, not as a Protestant. If Papists were only enemies to the religion of other men, I should overlook their errors. As they are foes to liberty, I cannot forgive them.”

Ifs Men Should Hate Liberty Enemy Spring I Hate Forgiving Errors Foe Protestants Sects Aversion

Author:Horace Walpole

“If a passion for freedom is not in vogue, patriots may sound the alarm till they are weary. The Act of Habeas Corpus, by which prisoners may insist on being brought to trial within a limited time, is the corner stone of our liberty.”

Ifs May Passion Sound Liberty Stones Corners Trials Prisoner Patriot Weary Alarms Vogue Limited Time Corpus Habeas Corpus

Book:Memoires of the Last Ten years of the Reign of George the Second

Source: Memoires of the Last Ten years of the Reign of George the Second

“Oh, we are ridiculous animals; and if the angels have any fun in them, how we must divert them!”

Ifs Fun Animal Angel Ridiculous

Book:The letters of Horace Walpole, Earl of Orford: including numerous letters now first published from the original manuscripts

Source: The letters of Horace Walpole, Earl of Orford: including numerous letters now first published from the original manuscripts

“I have sometimes seen women, who would have been sensible enough, if they would have been content not to be called women of sense--but by aiming at what they had not, they only proved absurd--for sense cannot be counterfeited.”

Ifs Has Beens Sometimes Enough Women Absurd Sensible Misogyny

Author:Horace Walpole

“How much on outward show does all depend, If virtues from within no lustre lend! Strip off th'externals M and Y, the rest Proves Majesty itself is but a Jest.”

Ifs Doe Shows Virtue Depends Prove Royalty Majesty Jest

Author:Horace Walpole

“In the drawing room [of the Queen's palace] hung a Venus and Cupid by Michaelangelo, in which, instead of a bit of drapery, the painter has placed Cupid's foot between Venus's thighs. Queen Caroline asked General Guise, an old connoisseur, if it was not a very fine piece? He replied "Madam, the painter was a fool, for he has placed the foot where the hand should be.”

Ifs Should Hands Bits Rooms Pieces Feet Fine Fool Drawing Painter Queens Hung Palaces Thighs Venus Guise Cupid Obscenity Connoisseur

Author:Horace Walpole

“Pedants make a great rout about criticism, as if it were a science of great depth, and required much pains and knowledge--criticism however is only the result of good sense, taste and judgment--three qualities that indeed seldom are found together, and extremely seldom in a pedant, which most critics are.”

Ifs Pain Together Three Found Results Quality Taste Judgment Criticism Critics Depth Good Sense Pedants Pedantry Taste And Judgment

Author:Horace Walpole

“Art is the filigrain of a little mind, and is twisted and involved and curled, but would reach farther if laid out in a straight line.”

Ifs Mind Littles Art Lines Involved Art Is Twisted Straight Lines Little Minds

Author:Horace Walpole

“The sure way of judging whether our first thoughts are judicious, is to sleep on them. If they appear of the same force the next morning as they did over night, and if good nature ratifies what good sense approves, we may be pretty sure we are in the right.”

Ifs Way Firsts May Night Next Force Sleep Morning Judging Good Sense Good Nature

Author:Horace Walpole

“I shun authors, and would never have been one myself, if it obliged me to keep such bad company.”

Ifs Has Beens Company Obliged Bad Company

Book:Delphi Complete Works of Horace Walpole (Illustrated)

Source: Delphi Complete Works of Horace Walpole (Illustrated)

“I avoid talking before the youth of the age as I would dancing before them: for if one's tongue don't move in the steps of the day, and thinks to please by its old graces, it is only an object of ridicule.”

Ifs Thinking Age Moving Talking Steps Grace Generations Objects Youth Please Dancing Tongue Ridicule

Book:The letters of Horace Walpole, Earl of Orford: including numerous letters now first published from the original manuscripts

Source: The letters of Horace Walpole, Earl of Orford: including numerous letters now first published from the original manuscripts

“How posterity will laugh at us, one way or other! If half a dozen break their necks, and balloonism is exploded, we shall be called fools for having imagined it could be brought to use: if it should be turned to account, we shall be ridiculed for having doubted.”

Ifs Way Should Use Half Break Laughing Fool Accounts One Way Necks Dozen Posterity Doubted Balloons

Book:The Letters of Horace Walpole, Earl of Oxford

Source: The Letters of Horace Walpole, Earl of Oxford

“I know that I have had friends who would never have vexed or betrayed me, if they had walked on all fours.”

Ifs Knows Friendship Dog Betrayed Fours

Book:The letters of Horace Walpole, Earl of Orford: including numerous letters now first published from the original manuscripts

Source: The letters of Horace Walpole, Earl of Orford: including numerous letters now first published from the original manuscripts

About the Author

Born: September 24, 1717
Died: March 2, 1797
Known for: Politician
Quotes: 119

Books & Sources

The letters of Horace Walpole, Earl of Orford: including numerous letters now first published from the original manuscriptsRelated source material

The Letters of Horace Walpole: Earl of OrfordRelated source material

The Letters of Horace Walpole, Earl of OxfordRelated source material

The castle of OtrantoRelated source material

The letters of Horace Walpole, earl of OrfordRelated source material

Delphi Complete Works of Horace Walpole (Illustrated)Related source material

The Works of Horatio Walpole, Earl of Orford ...Related source material

The Yale Edition of Horace Walpole's CorrespondenceRelated source material

Memoires of the Last Ten years of the Reign of George the SecondRelated source material

Horace Walpole: Memoirs and PortraitsRelated source material

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