Thomas Carlyle Quotes
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Books are a triviality. Life alone is great.
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In this world there is one godlike thing, the essence of all that was or ever will be of godlike in this world: the veneration done to Human Worth by the hearts of men.
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Ever, as before, does Madness remain a mysterious-terrific, altogether infernal boiling-up of the Nether Chaotic Deep, through this fair-painted Vision of Creation, which swims thereon, which we name the Real.
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There are remedies for all things but death.
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Woe to him that claims obedience when it is not due; woe to him that refuses it when it is.
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For the superior morality, of which we hear so much, we too would desire to be thankful: at the same time, it were but blindness to deny that this superior morality is properly rather an inferior criminality, produced not by greater love of Virtue, but by greater perfection of Police; and of that far subtler and stronger Police, called Public Opinion.
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The situation that has not its duty, its ideal, was never yet occupied by man. Yes, here, in this poor, miserable, hampered, despicable actual, wherein thou even now standest, here or nowhere is thy ideal; work it out therefrom, and, working, believe, live, be free. Fool! the ideal is in thyself.
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Every man has a coward and hero in his soul.
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There are but two ways of paying debt: Increase of industry in raising income, increase of thrift in laying out.
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Man always worships something; always he sees the Infinite shadowed forth in something finite; and indeed can and must so see it in any finite thing, once tempt him well to fix his eyes thereon.
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We have profoundly forgotten everywhere that Cash-payment is not the sole relation of human beings.
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Nay, in every epoch of the world, the great event, parent of all others, is it not the arrival of a Thinker in the world?
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Men do less than they ought, unless they do all they can.
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How were friendship possible? In mutual devotedness to the good and true; otherwise impossible, except as armed neutrality or hollow commercial league. A man, be the heavens ever praised, is sufficient for himself; yet were ten men, united in love, capable of being and of doing what ten thousand singly would fail in. Infinite is the help man can yield to man.
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Heroism is the divine relation which, in all times, unites a great man to other men.
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Little other than a red tape Talking-machine, and unhappy Bag of Parliamentary Eloquence.
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Men seldom, or rather never for a length of time and deliberately, rebel against anything that does not deserve rebelling against.
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Enjoying things which are pleasant; that is not the evil; it is the reducing of our moral self to slavery by them that is.
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To reform a world, to reform a nation, no wise man will undertake; and all but foolish men know, that the only solid, though a far slower reformation, is what each begins and perfects on himself.
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The cut of a garment speaks of intellect and talent and the color of temperament and heart.
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The greatest of all heroes is One--whom we do not name here! Let sacred silence meditate that sacred matter; you will find it the ultimate perfection of a principle extant throughout man's whole history on earth.
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The goal of yesterday will be our starting-point to-morrow.
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Give us, O give us the man who sings at his work! Be his occupation what it may, he is equal to any of those who follow the same pursuit in silent sullenness. He will do more in the same time . . . he will do it better . . . he will persevere longer. One is scarcely sensible to fatigue while he marches to music. The very stars are said to make harmony as they revolve in their spheres.
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Nothing is more terrible than activity without insight.