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Oliver Goldsmith

Oliver Goldsmith Quotes

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Oliver Goldsmith was an Irish novelist, playwright, poet, and physician. He is best known for his novel 'The Vicar of Wakefield' and his plays 'She Stoops to Conquer' and 'The Good-Natur'd Man'. Goldsmith's works are characterized by their wit, humor, and moral depth.

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Famous Oliver Goldsmith Quotes

“In arguing one should meet serious pleading with humor, and humor with serious pleading.”

Should Serious Argument Arguing Pleading

Author:Oliver Goldsmith

“One should not quarrel with a dog without a reason sufficient to vindicate one through all the courts of morality.”

Should Reason Dog Morality Court Sufficient Quarrels

Author:Oliver Goldsmith

“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.”

Should Stills Book Changed Vices Polite Antidote

Book:Miscellaneous Works of Oliver Goldsmith: With a New Life of the Author

Source: Miscellaneous Works of Oliver Goldsmith: With a New Life of the Author

“They say women and music should never be dated.”

Should Conquer Geek

Book:The Recruiting Officer. A Comedy

Source: The Recruiting Officer. A Comedy

“Philosophy ... should not pretend to increase our present stock, but make us economists of what we are possessed of.”

Should Philosophy Increase Possessed Economist

Book:Enquiry into the present state of polite learning. The citizen of the world

Source: Enquiry into the present state of polite learning. The citizen of the world

“True generosity is a duty as indispensably necessary as those imposed upon us by the law. It is a rule imposed upon us by reason, which should be the sovereign law of a rational being.”

Should Reason Law Duty Rational Generosity Sovereign True Generosity

Book:The works of Oliver Goldsmith, ed. by P. Cunningham

Source: The works of Oliver Goldsmith, ed. by P. Cunningham

“As boys should be educated with temperance, so the first greatest lesson that should be taught them is to admire frugality. It is by the exercise of this virtue alone they can ever expect to be useful members of society.”

Should Firsts Boys Economy Virtue Taught Exercise Lessons Members Admire Educated Temperance Frugality

Book:The Works of Oliver Goldsmith: The bee. Essays. Unacknowledged essays. Prefaces, introductions, etc

Source: The Works of Oliver Goldsmith: The bee. Essays. Unacknowledged essays. Prefaces, introductions, etc

“Were I to be angry at men being fools, I could here find ample room for declamation; but, alas! I have been a fool myself; and why should I be angry with them for being something so natural to every child of humanity?”

Men Should Children Has Beens Humanity Natural Rooms Fool Angry Should I Alas Declamation

Book:His Works

Source: His Works

“Wit generally succeeds more from being happily addressed than from its native poignancy. A jest, calculated to spread at a gaming-table, may be received with, perfect indifference should it happen to drop in a mackerel-boat.”

Should May Happens Perfect Succeed Tables Spread Wit Boat Indifference Native Gaming Jest Poignancy Mackerel

Book:Essays

Source: Essays

“Philosophy can add to our happiness in no other manner but by diminishing our misery; it should not pretend to increase our present stock, but make us economists of what we are possessed of. Happy were we all born philosophers; all born with a talent of thus dissipating our own cares by spreading them upon all mankind.”

Should Philosophy Care Born Mankind Talent Increase Add Misery Philosopher Possessed Economist

Book:Enquiry into the present state of polite learning. The citizen of the world

Source: Enquiry into the present state of polite learning. The citizen of the world

“As for disappointing them I should not so much mind; but I can't abide to disappoint myself.”

Should Mind I Can Disappointment Disappoint Disappointing

Book:The works of Oliver Goldsmith: Vicar of Wakefield, select poems and comedies, with intr., notes and a life by J.F. Waller

Source: The works of Oliver Goldsmith: Vicar of Wakefield, select poems and comedies, with intr., notes and a life by J.F. Waller

“Like the bee, we should make our industry our amusement.”

Should Work Industry Bees Amusement

Author:Oliver Goldsmith