“Plutarch has a fine expression, with regard to some woman of learning, humility, and virtue;--that her ornaments were such as might be purchased without money, and would render any woman's life both glorious and happy.”
Source: The Works of Laurence Sterne: With a Life of the Author
“As monarchs have a right to call in the specie of a state, and raise its value, by their own impression; so are there certain prerogative geniuses, who are above plagiaries, who cannot be said to steal, but, from their improvement of a thought, rather to borrow it, and repay the commonwealth of letters with interest again; and may wore properly be said to adopt, than to kidnap a sentiment, by leaving it heir to their own fame.”
Source: The works of Laurence Sterne
“Precedents are the disgrace of legislation. They are not wanted to justify right measures, are absolutely insufficient to excuse wrong ones. They can only be useful to heralds, dancing masters, and gentlemen ushers.”
Source: The Posthumous Works of Laurence Sterne: ...
“If a man has a right to be proud of anything, it is of a good action done as it ought to be, without any base interest lurking at the bottom of it.”
Source: The Beauties of Sterne: Containing All His Pathetic Tales, His Humorous Descriptions, His Most Distinguished Observations on Life, and a Copious Selection from His Sermons ...
“The chaste mind, like a polished plane, may admit foul thoughts, without receiving their tincture.”
Source: The Works of Laurence Sterne, A. M.: A sentimental journey through France and Italy. The Koran: or, The life, character and sentiments of Tria Juncta in Uno. A political romance
“The mind should be accustomed to make wise reflections, and draw curious conclusions as it goes along; the habitude of which made Pliny the Younger affirm that he never read book so bad but he drew some profit from it.”
Source: The life and opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
“Patience cannot remove, but it can always dignify and alleviate, misfortune.”
“Beauty has so many charms, one knows not how to speak against it; and when it happens that a graceful figure is the habitation of a virtuous soul, when the beauty of the face speaks out the modesty and humility of the mind, and the justness of the proportion raises our thoughts up to the heart and wisdom of the great Creator, something may be allowed it,--and something to the embellishments which set it off; and yet, when the whole apology is read, it will be found at last that beauty, like truth, never is so glorious as when it goes the plainest.”
Source: The Works of Laurence Sterne: With a Life of the Author
“Heaven be their resource who have no other but the charity of the world, the stock of which, I fear, is no way sufficient for the many great claims which are hourly made upon it.”
Source: A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy: And, Continuation of the Bramine's Journal : with Related Texts
“Death opens the gate of fame, and shuts the gate of envy after it; it unlooses the chain of the captive, and puts the bondsman's task into another man's hand.”
Source: The Works of Laurence Sterne: Containing The Life and Opinions of Tristan Shandy ... [etc.] ; with a Life of the Author Written by Himself
“Whatever stress some may lay upon it, a death-bed repentance is but a weak and slender plank to trust our all on.”
Source: The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy: Gentleman & A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy
“The way to fame, is like the way to heaven,--through much tribulation.”
Source: The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman. And A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy ... With Life of the Author by Sir Walter Scott, Portrait, and Outline Wood Engravings After Thomas Stothard
“O blessed Health! thou art above all gold and treasure; 'tis thou who enlargest the soul, and openest all its powers to receive instruction, and to relish virtue. He that has thee has little more to wish for, and he that is so wretched as to want thee, wants everything with thee.”
Source: The Works ...: With a Life of the Author
“Ten cooks' shops! ...and all within three minutes' driving! one would think that all the cooks in the world ...had said - Come, let us all go live at Paris: the French love good eating - they are all gourmands - we shall rank high.”
Source: Tristram Shandy and A Sentimental Journey: (A Modern Library E-Book)
“We may imitate the Deity in all His attributes; but mercy is the only one in which we can pretend to equal Him. We cannot, indeed, give like God; but surely we may forgive like Him.”
Source: The Works of Laurence Sterne: Complete in Eight Volumes
“In part of Lord Kames' Elements of Criticism, he says that "music improves the relish of a banquet." That I deny,--any more than painting might do. They may both be additional pleasures, as well as conversation is, but are perfectly distinct notices; and cannot, with the least propriety, be said to mix or blend with the repast, as none of them serve to raise the flavor of the wine, the sauce, the meat, or help to quicken appetite. But music and painting both add a spirit to devotion, and elevate the ardor.”
“Is it not an amazing thing, that men shall attempt to investigate the mystery of the redemption, when, at the same time that it is propounded to us as an article of faith solely, we are told that "the very angels have desired to pry into it in vain"?”
Source: The Works of Laurence Sterne, A. M.: A sentimental journey through France and Italy. The Koran: or, The life, character and sentiments of Tria Juncta in Uno. A political romance
“Upon the present theological computation, ten souls must be lost for one that is saved. At which rate of reckoning, heaven can raise but its cohorts while hell commands its legions. From which sad account it would appear, that, though our Saviour had conquered death by the resurrection, he had not yet been able to overcome sin by the redemption.”
Source: The Works of Laurence Sterne: With a Life of the Author
“Probably Providence has implanted peevishness and ill-temper in sick and old persons, in compassion to the friends or relations who are to survive; as it must naturally lessen the concern they might otherwise feel for their loss.”
Source: The works of Laurence Sterne, with a life of the author, written by himself
“I was acquainted once with a gallant soldier who assured me that his only measure of courage was this: upon the first fire, in an engagement, he immediately looked upon himself as a dead man. He then bravely fought out the remainder of the day, perfectly regardless of all manner of danger, as becomes a dead man to be. So that all the life or limbs he carried back again to his tent he reckoned as clear gains, or, as he himself expressed it, so much out of the fire.”
“There are some tempers--how shall I describe them--formed either of such impenetrable matter, or wrought up by habitual selfishness to such an utter insensibility of what becomes of the fortunes of their fellow-creatures, as if they were not partakers of the same nature, or had no lot or connection at all with the species.”
Source: The Works of Laurence Sterne ...: With a Life of the Author
“Sight is by much the noblest of the senses. We receive our notices from the other four, through the organs of sensation only. We hear, we feel, we smell, we taste, by touch. But sight rises infinitely higher. It is refined above matter, and equals the faculty of spirit.”
Source: The Works of Laurence Sterne, A. M.: A sentimental journey through France and Italy. The Koran: or, The life, character and sentiments of Tria Juncta in Uno. A political romance
“A good simile,--as concise as a king's declaration of love.”
Source: The Works of Laurence Sterne: Complete in Eight Volumes
“Simplicity is the great friend to nature, and if I would be proud of anything in this silly world, it should be of this honest alliance.”
Source: The Works of Laurence Sterne: Containing The Life and Opinions of Tristan Shandy ... [etc.] ; with a Life of the Author Written by Himself
“An inward sincerity will of course influence the outward deportment; but where the one is wanting, there is great reason to suspect the absence of the other.”
Source: The Works of Laurence Sterne: Containing the Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gent., Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy, Sermons, Letters, &c. With a Life of the Author Written by Himself
“An atheist is more reclaimable than a papist, as ignorance is sooner cured than superstition.”
Source: The Works of Laurence Sterne: Complete in Eight Volumes
“How frequently is the honesty and integrity of a man disposed of by a smile or shrug! How many good and generous actions have been sunk into oblivion by a distrustful look, or stamped With the imputation of proceeding from bad motives, by a mysterious and seasonable whisper!”
Source: The Works of Laurence Sterne: Containing The Life and Opinions of Tristam Shandy, Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy, Sermons, Letters, Etc
“So fruitful is slander in variety of expedients to satiate as well as disguise itself. But if these smoother weapons cut so sore, what shall we say of open and unblushing scandal, subjected to no caution, tied down to no restraints?”
Source: The Beauties of Sterne: Containing All His Pathetic Tales, His Humorous Descriptions, His Most Distinguished Observations on Life, and a Copious Selection from His Sermons ...
“There are many ways of inducing sleep--the thinking of purling rills, or waving woods; reckoning of numbers; droppings from a wet sponge fixed over a brass pan, etc. But temperance and exercise answer much better than any of these succedaneums.”
“There is one sweet lenitive at least for evils, which nature holds out; so I took it kindly at her hands, and fell asleep.”
Source: A Sentimental Journey
“In solitude the mind gains strength, and learns to lean upon herself; in the world it seeks or accepts of a few treacherous supports--the feigned compassion of one, the flattery of a second, the civilities of a third, the friendship of a fourth--they all deceive, and bring the mind back to retirement, reflection, and books.”
Source: The Beauties of Sterne: With Some Account of His Life
“If there is an evil in this world, it is sorrow and heaviness of heart. The loss of goods, of health, of coronets and mitres, is only evil as they occasion sorrow; take that out, the rest is fancy, and dwelleth only in the head of man.”
Source: Delphi Complete Works of Laurence Sterne (Illustrated)
“I am positive I have a soul; nor can all the books with which materialists have pestered the world ever convince me to the contrary.”
Source: A sentimental journey through France and Italy, by mr. Yorick
“When, to gratify a private appetite, it is once resolved upon that an ignorant and helpless creature shall be sacrificed, it is an easy matter to pick up sticks enough from any thicket where it has strayed, to make a fire to offer it up with.”
“I would go fifty miles on foot to kiss the hand of that man whose generous heart will give up the reins of his imagination into his Author's hands; be pleased, he knows not why, and cares not wherefore.”
Source: The Works of Laurence Sterne: Containing The Life and Opinions of Tristan Shandy ... [etc.] ; with a Life of the Author Written by Himself
“There is such a torture, happily unknown to ancient tyranny, as talking a man to death. Marcus Aurelius advises to assent readily to great talkers--in hopes, I suppose, to put an end to the argument.”
Source: The Works of Laurence Sterne: Complete in Eight Volumes
“Keep away from the fire!”
Source: The Works of Laurence Sterne, A. M.: A sentimental journey through France and Italy. The Koran: or, The life, character and sentiments of Tria Juncta in Uno. A political romance
“Some people pass through life soberly and religiously enough, without knowing way, or reasoning about it, but, from force of habit merely, go to heaven like fools.”
“If time, like money, could be laid by while one was not using it, there might be some excuse for the idleness of half of the world, but yet not a full one. For even this would be such an economy as the living on a principal sum, without making it purchase interest.”
Source: The Works of Laurence Sterne ...: With a Life of the Author, Written by Himself ...
“It is curious to observe the triumph of slight incidents over the mind; and what incredible weight they have in forming and governing our opinions, both of men and things, that trifles light as air shall waft a belief into the soul, and plant it so immovable within it, that Euclid's demonstrations, could they be brought to batter it in breach, should not all have power to overthrow it!”
“We are born to trouble; and we may depend upon it, whilst we live in this world, we shall have it, though with intermissions.”
Source: The Works of Laurence Sterne: Containing The Life and Opinions of Tristan Shandy ... [etc.] ; with a Life of the Author Written by Himself
“Endless is the search of truth.”
Source: The life and opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
“The more tickets you have in a lottery, the worse your chance. And it is the same of virtues, in the lottery of life.”
Source: The Works of Laurence Sterne, A.M. In Eight Volumes ..
“The world is ashamed of being virtuous.”
Source: Works ...
“Writings may be compared to wine. Sense is the strength, but wit the flavor.”
Source: The Works of Laurence Sterne, A. M.: A sentimental journey through France and Italy. The Koran: or, The life, character and sentiments of Tria Juncta in Uno. A political romance
“The loneliness is the mother of wisdom.”
“Shall we be destined to the days of eternity, on holy-days, as well as working-days, to be showing the relics of learning, as monks do the relics of their saints - without working one - one single miracle with them?”
Source: The Works of Laurence Sterne, in One Volume
“A man who values a good night's rest will not lie down with enmity in his heart, if he can help it.”
Source: The Works of Laurence Sterne: Containing The Life and Opinions of Tristan Shandy ... [etc.] ; with a Life of the Author Written by Himself
“How many thousands of [lives] are there every year that comes cast away, (in all civilized countries at least)--and consider'd asnothing but common air, in competition of an hypothesis.”
“When the affections so kindly break loose, Joy, is another name for Religion.”
Source: The Works of Laurence Sterne: Containing the Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gent., Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy, Sermons, Letters, &c. With a Life of the Author Written by Himself
