Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Sydney Smith

Quote by Sydney Smith

“The main question to a novel is -- did it amuse? were you surprised at dinner coming so soon? did you mistake eleven for ten? were you too late to dress? and did you sit up beyond the usual hour? If a novel produces these effects, it is good; if it does not -- story, language, love, scandal itself cannot save it. It is only meant to please; and it must do that or it does nothing.”

Quote by Sydney Smith

Work

The Works of the Rev. Sydney Smith: Three Volumes Complete in One

This book is a compilation of the works of Sydney Smith, an influential figure in 19th-century English literature. It includes a variety of essays, sermons, and humorous pieces that showcase his wit and insight. The collection is presented in three volumes, consolidated into one convenient format for readers interested in exploring Smith's extensive body of work. more

Author

Sydney Smith
Sydney Smith

Sydney Smith was a British writer celebrated for his wit and humor. Born on June 3, 1771, he was a prominent figure in the literary world of his time. His writing spanned various genres, including essays, letters, and poetry. Smith was a regular contributor to The Edinburgh Review and The Edinburgh Magazine, where his insightful and witty prose was highly esteemed. He passed away on February 22, 1845, leaving behind a rich literary legacy. more

You May Also Like

“I ought not to doubt the steadiness of your affection. Yet such is the inconsistency of real love, that it is always awake to suspicion, however unreasonable; always requiring new assurances from the object of its interest, and thus it is, that i always feel revived, as by a new convinction, when your words tell me I am dear to you; and wanting these, I relapse into doubt and often into despondency.”

“If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. I do the very best I know how - the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what's said against me won't amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference.”

“Some who have read the book, or at any rate have reviewed it, have found it boring, absurd, or contemptible, and I have no cause to complain, since I have similar opinions of their works, or of the kinds of writing that they evidently prefer.”