William Cobbett Quotes - Page 2

Quotes about:

• From a very early age I had imbibed the opinion that it was every man's duty to do all that lay in his power to leave his country as good as he had found it.

  William Cobbett

  Country, Men, Age

  'Political Register' 22 December 1832

  11 Copy quote

• Patience is the most necessary quality for business, many a man would rather you heard his story than grant his request.
  It is by attempting to reach the top in a single leap that so much misery is produced in the world.

  William Cobbett

  Patience, Men, Quality

  25 Copy quote

• Praise the child, and you make love to the mother.

  William Cobbett

  Mother, Children, Making Love

  William Cobbett (1829). “Advice to Young Men, and, incidentally, to Young Women, in the middle and higher ranks of life. In a series of letters, etc”, p.181

  14 Copy quote

• Poverty is, except where there is an actual want of food and raiment, a thing much more imaginary than real. The shame of poverty--the shame of being thought poor--it is a great and fatal weakness, though arising in this country, from the fashion of the times themselves.

  William Cobbett

  Country, Fashion, Real

  William Cobbett (2016). “Advice to Young Men - And (Incidentally) to Young Women in the Middle and Higher Ranks of Life. In a Series of Letters, Addressed to a Youth, a Bachelor, a Lover, a Husband, a Father, a Citizen, or a Subject.”, p.39, Read Books Ltd

  23 Copy quote

• Grammar, perfectly understood, enables us not only to express our meaning fully and clearly, but so to express it as to enable us to defy the ingenuity of man to give to our words any other meaning than that which we ourselves intend them to express.

  William Cobbett

  Men, Giving, Our Words

  William Cobbett (1847). “A grammar of the English language, etc”, p.15

  11 Copy quote

• A full belly to the labourer was, in my opinion, the foundation of public morals and the only source of real public peace.

  William Cobbett

  Real, Foundation, Opinion

  William Cobbett (1935). “The Progress of a Plough-boy to a Seat in Parliament: As Exemplified in the History of the Life of William Cobbett, Member for Oldham”

  13 Copy quote

• Be you in what line of life you may, it will be amongst your misfortunes if you have not time properly to attend to [money management]; for. ... want of attention to pecuniary matters ... has impeded the progress of science and of genius itself.

  William Cobbett

  Science, Progress, Attention

  William Cobbett (2012). “Advice to Young Men And (Incidentally) to Young Women in the Middle and Higher Ranks of Life. In a Series of Letters, Addressed to a Youth, a Bachelor, a Lover, a Husband, a Father, a Citizen, or a Subject.”, p.62, tredition

  29 Copy quote

• The smallness of our desires may contribute reasonably to our wealth.

  William Cobbett

  Desire, May, Riches

  10 Copy quote

• The very hirelings of the press, whose trade it is to buoy up the spirits of the people... have uttered falsehoods so long, they have played off so many tricks, that their budget seems, at last, to be quite empty.

  William Cobbett

  Media, Long, People

  "The Last Ten Years". Political Register, January 4, 1812.

  86 Copy quote

• To suppose such a thing possible as a society, in which men, who are able and willing to work, cannot support their families, and ought, with a great part of the women, to be compelled to lead a life of celibacy, for fear of having children to be starved; to suppose such a thing possible is monstrous.

  William Cobbett

  Children, Men, Support

  William Cobbett, John Morgan Cobbett, Anne Cobbett, James Paul Cobbett (1835). “Selections from Cobbett's Political Works: Being a Complete Abridgement of the 100 Volumes which Comprise the Writings of "Porcupine" and the "Weekly Political Register." With Notes, Historical and Explanatory”, p.400

  18 Copy quote

• Before I dismiss this affair of eating and drinking, let me beseech you to resolve to free yourselves from the slavery of the tea and coffee and other slop-kettle, if, unhappily, you have been bred up in such slavery.

  William Cobbett

  Coffee, Tea, Slavery

  "Advice to Young Men, and (incidentally) to Young Women, in the Middle and Higher Ranks of Life".

  17 Copy quote

• The ancient nobility and gentry of the kingdom... have been thrust out of all public employment... a race of merchants, and manufacturers and bankers and loan-jobbers and contractors have usurped their place.

  William Cobbett

  Race, Bankers, Employment

  Political Register, July 10-17, 1802.

  16 Copy quote

• I was a countryman and a father before I was a writer on political subjects... Born and bred up in the sweet air myself, I was resolved that my children should be bred up in it too.

  William Cobbett

  Sweet, Children, Father

  "The Autobiography of William Cobbett: The Progress of a Plough-boy to a Seat in Parliament". Book by William Cobbett, 1933.

  15 Copy quote

• I set out as a sort of self-dependent politician. My opinions were my own. I dashed at all prejudices. I scorned to follow anybodyin matter of opinion.... All were, therefore, offended at my presumption, as they deemed it.

  William Cobbett

  Self, Prejudice, Politics

  William Cobbett (1933). “The Progress of a Plough-boy to a Seat in Parliament: As Exemplified in the History of the Life of William Cobbett, Member for Oldham”

  7 Copy quote

• Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Canada are the horns, the head, the neck, the shins, and the hoof of the ox, and the United States are the ribs, the sirloin, the kidneys, and the rest of the body.

  William Cobbett

  United States, Ribs, Body

  William Cobbett (1933). “The Progress of a Plough-boy to a Seat in Parliament: As Exemplified in the History of the Life of William Cobbett, Member for Oldham”

  7 Copy quote

• He who writes badly thinks badly

  William Cobbett

  Writing, Thinking

  William Cobbett (1842). “A Grammar of the English Language in a Series of Letters: Intended for the Use of Schools and of Young Persons in General; But More Especially for the Use of Soldiers, Sailors, Apprentices, and Plough-boys. To which are Added Six Lessons, Intended to Prevent Statesmen from Using False Grammar and from Writing in an Awkward Manner”, p.179

  4 Copy quote

• Men of integrity are generally pretty obstinate, in adhering to an opinion once adopted.

  William Cobbett

  Integrity, Men, Opinion

  William Cobbett (1836). “Beauties of Cobbett”, p.70

  21 Copy quote

• However roguish a man may be, he always loves to deal with an honest man.

  William Cobbett

  Men, May, Honest

  William Cobbett (1985). “Cobbett's America: a selection from the writings of William Cobbett”

  4 Copy quote

• All Middlesex is ugly, notwithstanding the millions upon millionswhichit iscontinuallysucking up fromtherestof the kingdom.

  William Cobbett

  Ugly, Kingdoms, Millions

  4 Copy quote

• It is not the greatness of a man's means that makes him independent, so much as the smallness of his wants.

  William Cobbett

  Mean, Independent, Greatness

  11 Copy quote

• When, from the top of any high hill, one looks round the country, and sees the multitude of regularly distributed spires, one not only ceases to wonder that order and religion are maintained, but one is astonished that any such thing as disaffection or irreligion should prevail.

  William Cobbett

  Country, Order, Looks

  William Cobbett's letter to William Windham, May 27, 1802.

  17 Copy quote

• Please your eye and plague your heart.

  William Cobbett

  Heart, Eye, Please

  William Cobbett (1829). “Advice to young men, and, incidentally, to young women, in the middle and higher ranks of life, in a series of letters”, p.156

  4 Copy quote

• But I do not remember ever having seen a newspaper in the house; and, most certainly, that privation did not render us less industrious, happy, or free.

  William Cobbett

  House, Remember, Newspapers

  William Cobbett (1836). “Beauties of Cobbett”, p.69

  4 Copy quote

• Protestations of impartiality I shall make none. Theyare always useless and are besides perfect nonsense, when used bya news-monger.

  William Cobbett

  Perfect, News, Useless

  4 Copy quote

• DEAL is a most villainous place. It is full of filthy-looking people.Great desolationof abomination has beengoing on here.

  William Cobbett

  People, Abomination, Deals

  1823 On Deal, Kent. Rural Rides (published 1830), entry for 3 Sep.

  4 Copy quote

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