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Quote by William Hazlitt

Work

The Collected Works of William Hazlitt: Memoirs of Thomas Holcroft. Liber amoris. Characteristics

This collection encompasses a variety of Hazlitt's works, including his memoirs of Thomas Holcroft, a contemporary and friend, as well as his reflections on love and human nature in Liber amoris. The volume also features his distinctive observations on the characteristics of individuals and society, showcasing Hazlitt's wit and insight into the human condition. more

Author

William Hazlitt
William Hazlitt

William Hazlitt, born on April 10, 1778, was an influential English essayist and literary critic. His works are renowned for their sharp observations and profound insights, which have had a lasting impact on 19th-century British literature. more

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“The confined air of a metropolis is hurtful to the minds and bodies of those who have never lived out of it. It is impure, stagnant--without breathing-space to allow a larger view of ourselves or others--and gives birth to a puny, sickly, unwholesome, and degenerate race of beings.”

“The history of mankind is a romance, a mask, a tragedy, constructed upon the principles of POETICAL JUSTICE; it is a noble or royal hunt, in which what is sport to the few is death to the many, and in which the spectators halloo and encourage the strong to set upon the weak, and cry havoc in the chase, though they do not share in the spoil.”

“Kings ought never to be seen upon the stage. In the abstract, they are very disagreeable characters: it is only while living that they are 'the best of kings'. It is their power, their splendour, it is the apprehension of the personal consequences of their favour or their hatred that dazzles the imagination and suspends the judgement of their favourites or their vassals; but death cancels the bond of allegiance and of interest; and seen AS THEY WERE, their power and their pretensions look monstrous and ridiculous.”