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Quote by George Saintsbury

Work

A history of criticism and literary taste in Europe from the earliest texts to the present day

Comprehensive in scope, the book examines the various critical theories and aesthetic preferences that have shaped European literature throughout history, offering insights into the cultural and intellectual contexts that have influenced literary appreciation. more

Author

George Saintsbury
George Saintsbury

George Saintsbury was an influential British writer, literary critic, and historian. His works spanned across various fields including literary criticism, historical research, and biography, having a profound impact on 19th-century British literature. more

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“My toils in the quotation field have led me to formulate two or three laws about the way people use and abuse quotations. My first law is: When in doubt, ascribe all quotations to Bernard Shaw - which I don't mean to be taken literally, but as a general observation of the habit people have of attaching remarks to the nearest obvious speaker. Churchill, Wilde, Orson Welles and Alexander Woollcott are other useful figures upon whom to father remarks when you don't know who really said them.”

“Do not give alms promiscuously. Select the unworthy poor and make them happy. To give to the deserving is a duty, but to help the improvident, drinking class is clear generosity, so that the donor has a right to be warmed by a selfish pride and count on a most flattering obituary.”