Oliver Goldsmith Quotes - Page 4

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• The ingratitude of the world can never deprive us of the conscious happiness of having acted with humanity ourselves.

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Humanity, World, Conscious

  Oliver Goldsmith, David Masson (1869). “The Miscellaneous Works of Oliver Goldsmith”, p.623

  27 Copy quote

• Both wit and understanding are trifles without integrity; it is that which gives value to every character. The ignorant peasant, without fault, is greater than the philosopher with many; for what is genius or courage without a heart?

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Inspirational, Art, Integrity

  "The Vicar of Wakefield".

  21 Copy quote

• If frugality were established in the state, and if our expenses were laid out to meet needs rather than superfluities of life, there might be fewer wants, and even fewer pleasures, but infinitely more happiness.

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Life, Happiness, Inner Peace

  7 Copy quote

• Were I to be angry at men being fools, I could here find ample room for declamation; but, alas! I have been a fool myself; and why should I be angry with them for being something so natural to every child of humanity?

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Children, Men, Humanity

  Oliver Goldsmith (1835). “His Works”, p.168

  14 Copy quote

• Villainy, when detected, never gives up, but boldly adds impudence to imposture.

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Giving Up, Add, Impudence

  Oliver Goldsmith (1854). “The Works of Oliver Goldsmith: Enquiry into the present state of polite learning. The citizen of the world”, p.467

  21 Copy quote

• Every absurdity has a champion to defend it.

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Champion, Absurdity

  17 Copy quote

• If you were to make little fishes talk, they would talk like whales.

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Whales, Littles, Fishes

  Oliver Goldsmith (1862). “Poetical Works”, p.80

  21 Copy quote

• There are some faults so nearly allied to excellence that we can scarce weed out the vice without eradicating the virtue.

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Weed, Marijuana, Excellence

  'The Good-Natured Man' (1768) act 1

  9 Copy quote

• One man is born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and the other with a wooden ladle.

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Men, Mouths, Spoons

  10 Copy quote

• True generosity is a duty as indispensably necessary as those imposed upon us by the law. It is a rule imposed upon us by reason, which should be the sovereign law of a rational being.

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Law, Generosity, Sovereign

  Oliver Goldsmith (1854). “The works of Oliver Goldsmith, ed. by P. Cunningham”, p.165

  8 Copy quote

• I chose my wife, as she did her wedding gown, for qualities that would wear well.

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Anniversary, Wedding, Wife

  11 Copy quote

• The true use of speech is not so much to express our wants as to conceal them.

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Use It Or Lose It, Speech, Want

  'Essays' 5 'The Use of Language'

  19 Copy quote

• True genius walks along a line, and, perhaps, our greatest pleasure is in seeing it so often near falling, without being ever actually down.

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Fall, Genius, Lines

  Oliver Goldsmith (1856). “The Works of Oliver Goldsmith: Comprising His Poems, Comedies, Essays, and Vicar of Wakefield”, p.287

  7 Copy quote

• I have seen her and sister cry over a book for an hour together, and they said, they liked the book the better the more it made them cry.

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Book, Tears, Cry

  "She Stoops to Conquer".

  5 Copy quote

• Prudery is ignorance.

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Ignorance

  7 Copy quote

• I have known a German Prince with more titles than subjects, and a Spanish nobleman with more names than shirts.

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Names, Society, Titles

  Oliver Goldsmith (1819). “Citizen of the World”, p.238

  10 Copy quote

• Life at the greatest and best is but a froward child, that must be humored and coaxed a little till it falls asleep, and then all the care is over.

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Life, Children, Fall

  Oliver Goldsmith, Sir James Prior (1851). “The Miscellaneous Works of Oliver Goldsmith: Including a Variety of Pieces Now First Collected”, p.197

  8 Copy quote

• To make a fine gentleman, several trades are required, but chiefly a barber.

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Gentleman, Barbers, Fine

  Oliver Goldsmith (1854). “The miscellaneous works of Oliver Goldsmith: including a variety of pieces now first collected”, p.23

  88 Copy quote

• Let schoolmasters puzzle their brain, With grammar, and nonsense, and learning, Good liquor, I stoutly maintain, Gives genius a better discerning.

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Giving, Brain, Intelligence

  'She Stoops to Conquer' (1773) act 1, sc. 1, song

  13 Copy quote

• It has been remarked that almost every character which has excited either attention or pity has owed part of its success to merit, and part to a happy concurrence of circumstances in its favor. Had Caesar or Cromwell exchanged countries, the one might have been a sergeant and the other an exciseman.

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Country, Character, Favors

  Oliver Goldsmith (1819). “Essays and poems, by Dr. Oliver Goldsmith. To which are prefixed, memoirs of the author”, p.3

  8 Copy quote

• You, that are going to be married, think things can never be done too fast: but we that are old, and know what we are about, must elope methodically, madam.

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Marriage, Thinking, Done

  'The Good-Natured Man' (1768) act 2

  5 Copy quote

• For just experience tells, in every soil, That those that think must govern those that toil.

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Thinking, Justice, Toil

  Oliver Goldsmith (1837). “The Miscellaneous Works of Oliver Goldsmith, M. B.: Including a Variety of Pieces”, p.27

  4 Copy quote

• To be poor, and to seem poor, is a certain method never to rise.

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Poverty, Poor, Method

  Oliver Goldsmith (1841). “Essays”, p.30

  8 Copy quote

• If the soul be happily disposed, every thing becomes capable of affording entertainment, and distress will almost want a name.

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Names, Soul, Entertainment

  Oliver Goldsmith (1839). “Poems and essays”, p.104

  8 Copy quote

• The dog, to gain some private ends,
  Went mad, and bit the man.

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Dog, Men, Mad

  "The Vicar of Wakefield" by Oliver Goldsmith, (Ch. 17), 1766.

  8 Copy quote

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