The hearts of men are their books; events are their tutors; great actions are their eloquence. — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
In Plato's opinion, man was made for philosophy; in Bacon's opinion, philosophy was made for man. — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
This is the best book ever written by any man on the wrong side of a question of which he is profoundly… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
The good-humor of a man elated with success often displays itself towards enemies. — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
It is the age that forms the man, not the man that forms the age. — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
No man who is correctly informed as to the past will be disposed to take a morose or desponding view of the… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
Men naturally sympathize with the calamities of individuals; but they are inclined to look on a fallen party with contempt rather than… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
The desire of posthumous fame and the dread of posthumous reproach and execration are feelings from the influence of which scarcely any… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
The perfect disinterestedness and self-devotion of which men seem incapable, but which is sometimes found in women. — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
Men of great conversational powers almost universally practise a sort of lively sophistry and exaggeration which deceives for the moment both themselves… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
In the plays of Shakespeare man appears as he is, made up of a crowd of passions which contend for the mastery… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
In order that he might rob a neighbour whom he had promised to defend, black men fought on the coast of Coromandel… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
Logicians may reason about abstractions. But the great mass of men must have images. The strong tendency of the multitude in all… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
What a singular destiny has been that of this remarkable man!-To be regarded in his own age as a classic, and in… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
To punish a man because he has committed a crime, or because he is believed, though unjustly, to have committed a crime,… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
It was before Deity embodied in a human form walking among men, partaking of their infirmities, leaning on their bosoms, weeping over… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
A man possessed of splendid talents, which he often abused, and of a sound judgment, the admonitions of which he often neglected;… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
Those who compare the age in which their lot has fallen with a golden age which exists only in imagination, may talk… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
No war ought ever to be undertaken but under circumstances which render all intercourse of courtesy between the combatants impossible. It is… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
Every man who has seen the world knows that nothing is so useless as a general maxim… If, like those of Rochefoucault,… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
Generalization is necessary to the advancement of knowledge; but particularly is indispensable to the creations of the imagination. In proportion as men… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
War is never lenient but where it is wanton; where men are compelled to fight in self-defence, they must hate and avenge.… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
Man is so inconsistent a creature that it is impossible to reason from his beliefs to his conduct, or from one part… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
Only imagine a man acting for one single day on the supposition that all his neighbors believe all that they profess, and… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
How it chanced that a man who reasoned on his premises so ably, should assume his premises so foolishly, is one of… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
A man who should act, for one day, on the supposition that all the people about him were influenced by the religion… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
We must succumb to the general influence of the times. No man can be of the tenth century, if he would; be… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
No particular man is necessary to the state. We may depend on it that, if we provide the country with popular institutions,… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
What proposition is there respecting human nature which is absolutely and universally true? We know of only one,--and that is not only… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
If any person had told the Parliament which met in terror and perplexity after the crash of 1720 that in 1830 the… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
Those who have read history with discrimination know the fallacy of those panegyrics and invectives which represent individuals as effecting great moral… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
A politician must often talk and act before he has thought and read. He may be very ill informed respecting a question:… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
Then none was for a party; Than all were for the state; Then the great man helped the poor, And the poor… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share Image
We must judge a government by its general tendencies and not by its happy accidents. — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share
None of the modes by which a magistrate is appointed, popular election, the accident of the lot, or the accident of birth, affords, as… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share
Our estimate of a character always depends much on the manner in which that character affects our own interests and passions. — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share
Re: Robert Montgomery's Poems His writing bears the same relation to poetry which a Turkey carpet bears to a picture. There are colours in… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share
Highest among those who have exhibited human nature by means of dialogue stands Shakespeare. His variety is like the variety of nature,--endless diversity, scarcely… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share
The most beautiful object in the world, it will be allowed, is a beautiful woman. — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share
The passages in which Milton has alluded to his own circumstances are perhaps read more frequently, and with more interest, than any other lines… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share
Oh, wherefore come ye forth in triumph from the north, With your hands, and your feet, and your raiment all red? And wherefore doth… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share
It is, I believe, no exaggeration to say that all the historical information which has been collected in the Sanskrit language is less valuable… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share
Ambrose Phillips . . . who had the honor of bringing into fashion a species of composition which has been called, after his name, Namby Pamby. — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share
In the infancy of civilization, when our island was as savage as New Guinea, when letters and arts were still unknown to Athens, when… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share
In truth it may be laid down as an almost universal rule that good poets are bad critics. — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share
He had a head which statuaries loved to copy, and a foot the deformity of which the beggars in the streets mimicked. — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share
The Spartan, smiting and spurning the wretched Helot, moves our disgust. But the same Spartan, calmly dressing his hair, and uttering his concise jests,… — Thomas B. Macaulay Copy Share
