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Book by Thomas Carlyle · 50 quotes · Men, Ifs, May

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Works Quotes

“If it is the love of that which your work represents--if, being a landscape painter, it is love of hills and trees that moves you--if, being a figure painter, it is love of human beauty, and human soul that moves you--if, being a flower or animal painter, it is love, and wonder, and delight in petal and in limb that move you, then the Spirit is upon you, and the earth is yours, and the fullness thereof.”

IfsHumansSoulEarthMovingSpiritAnimalWonderTreeFiguresPaintingFlowerDelightPainterHillsLandscapeLimbsFullnessHuman SoulPetalsFigure Painting
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“The weakling and the coward are out of place in a strong and free community. In a republic like ours the governing class is composed of the strong men who take the trouble to do the work of government; and if you are too timid or too fastidious or too careless to do your part in this work, then you forfeit your right to be considered one of the governing and you become one of the governed insteadone of the driven cattle of the political arena.”

IfsMenGovernmentPoliticalStrongCommunityClassTroubleDrivenCowardRepublicArenaGoverningCarelessCattleStrong ManForfeitFastidious
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“To describe love-making is immoral and immodest; you know it is. To describe it as it really is, or would appear to you and me as lookers-on, would be to describe the most dreary farce, to chronicle the most tautological twaddle. To take note of sighs, hand-squeezes, looks at the moon, and so forth--does this business become our dignity as historians? Come away from those foolish young people--they don't want us; and dreary as their farce is, and tautological as their twaddle, you may be sure it amuses them, and that they are happy enough without us.”

PeopleKnowsWantLoveLooksMayDoeEnoughHandsWould BeYoungMoonDignityNotesFoolishHistorianSighImmoralWant ULove MakingDrearyChroniclesFarce
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“I don't remember ever being see-saw, when I'd made my mind up that a thing was wrong. It takes the taste out o' my mouth for things, when I know I should have a heavy conscience after 'em. I've seen pretty clear, ever since I could cast up a sum, as you can never do what's wrong without breeding sin and trouble more than you can ever see. It's like a bit o' bad workmanship--you never see th' end o' the mischief it'll do. And it's a poor look-out to come into the world to make your fellow creatures worse off instead o' better.”

KnowsWorldShouldMindLooksMadeEndsRememberBitsSinPoorClearSawsTroubleTasteCreaturesMouthsConscienceShould HaveFellowsCastsHeavyEmsMischiefBreedingWorkmanship
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“Can it be possible that all human sympathies can thrive, and all human powers be exercised, and all human joys increase, if we live with all our might with the thirty or forty people next to us, telegraphing kindly to all other people, to be sure? Can it be possible that our passion for large cities, and large parties, and large theatres, and large churches, develops no faith nor hope nor love which would not find aliment and exercise in a little "world of our own"?”

PeopleIfsWorldHumansLittlesMightJoyPassionNextChurchPartyCitiesExerciseIncreaseTheatreThirtyThriveFortyHuman PowerLarge Cities
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“Music may appeal to crude and coarse feelings or to refined and noble ones; and in so far as it does the latter it awakens the higher nature and works an effect, though but a transitory effect, of a beneficial kind. But the primary purpose of music is neither instruction nor culture but pleasure; and this is an all-sufficient purpose.”

KindMayDoeFeelingsPurposeCulturePleasureEffectsHigherMusic IsNoblePrimariesAppealsSufficientLatterInstructionBeneficialRefinedCrudeTransitoryCoarse
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