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Quote by Thomas de Quincey

“If a man calls himself a philosopher and never had his life attempted, rest assured there is nothing in him, and against [John] Locke's philosophy, in particular, I think is an unanswerable objection (that we needed any) that, although he carried his throat about with him in this world for seventy-two years, no man ever condescended to cut it. [On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts, 1827]”

Quote by Thomas de Quincey

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Thomas de Quincey
Thomas de Quincey

Thomas de Quincey was an English essayist and critic, renowned for his personal experiences and philosophical reflections on opium. His work 'On the Use and Abuse of Opium' is one of the most famous autobiographical essays of the 19th century and has had a profound impact on literature and psychology. more

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“The boy's friends come over to lead him away, and at that moment, improbably, Locke's gaze lifts. His tawny fox eyes meet mine and widen in surprise. I am immobilised, my heart speeding. I brace myself for more scorn, but then one corner of his mouth lifts. He winks, as if in acknowledgement of being caught out. As if we're sharing a secret. As if he thinks I am not loathly, as though he does not find my mortality contagious.”

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