---
title: "6 Decay Quotes By Oliver Goldsmith"
description: "6 Decay quotes by Oliver Goldsmith. Plus more from Oliver Goldsmith and more Decay sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/199/oliver-goldsmith-772_capitalism_wealth-accumulates-and-men-decay-142335_142335.png"
---

> [Wealth accumulates, and men decay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/wealth-accumulates-and-men-decay/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/199/oliver-goldsmith-772_capitalism_wealth-accumulates-and-men-decay-142335_142335.png)

> [Alas! the joys that fortune brings Are trifling, and decay, And those who prize the trifling things, More trifling still than they.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/alas-the-joys-that-fortune-brings-are-trifling-and-decay-and-those/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a8/oliver-goldsmith-772_alas_alas-the-joys-that-fortune-brings-are-tr_1169740.png)

> [Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, Where wealth accumulates, and men decay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/ill-fares-the-land-to-hastening-ills-a-prey-where-wealth-accumulates/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/532/oliver-goldsmith-772_decay_ill-fares-the-land-to-hastening-ills-a-p_1478782.png)

> [Where wealth accumulates, men decay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/where-wealth-accumulates-men-decay/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efd/oliver-goldsmith-772_decay_where-wealth-accumulates-men-decay-24034_2403408.png)

> [Trade's proud empire hastes to swift decay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/trade-s-proud-empire-hastes-to-swift-decay/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a42/oliver-goldsmith-772_business_trade-s-proud-empire-hastes-to-swift-dec_2472818.png)

> [Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, Where wealth accumulates, and men decay. Princes and lords may flourish or may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/ill-fares-the-land-to-hastening-ills-a-prey-where-wealth-accumulates-2/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e5/oliver-goldsmith-772_breaths_ill-fares-the-land-to-hastening-ills-a-p_2972533.png)

## Other authors on Decay

## More by Oliver Goldsmith

> [The fortunate circumstances of our lives are generally found, at last, to be of our own producing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/the-fortunate-circumstances-of-our-lives-are-generally-found-at-last/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [How happy he who crowns in shades like these, A youth of labour with an age of ease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/how-happy-he-who-crowns-in-shades-like-these-a-youth-of-labour-with/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [One man is born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and the other with a wooden ladle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/one-man-is-born-with-a-silver-spoon-in-his-mouth-and-the-other-with-a/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [He cast off his friends as a huntsman his pack, For he knew when he pleas'd he could whistle them back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/he-cast-off-his-friends-as-a-huntsman-his-pack-for-he-knew-when-he/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [Even children follow'd with endearing wile, And pluck'd his gown, to share the good man's smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/even-children-follow-d-with-endearing-wile-and-pluck-d-his-gown-to/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [The premises being thus settled, I proceed to observe that the concatenation of self-existence, proceeding in a reciprocal duplicate ratio, naturally produces a problematical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/the-premises-being-thus-settled-i-proceed-to-observe-that-the/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [Truth from his lips prevailed with double sway, and fools, who came to scoff, remained to pray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/truth-from-his-lips-prevailed-with-double-sway-and-fools-who-came-to/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [Politics resemble religion; attempting to divest either of ceremony is the most certain mode of bringing either into contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/politics-resemble-religion-attempting-to-divest-either-of-ceremony-is/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [To what fortuitous occurrence do we not owe every pleasure and convenience of our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/to-what-fortuitous-occurrence-do-we-not-owe-every-pleasure-and/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [Every acknowledgment of gratitude is a circumstance of humiliation; and some are found to submit to frequent mortifications of this kind, proclaiming what obligations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/every-acknowledgment-of-gratitude-is-a-circumstance-of-humiliation/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [ \[T\]here are depths of thousands of miles which are hidden from our inquiry. The only tidings we have from those unfathomable regions are by… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/t-here-are-depths-of-thousands-of-miles-which-are-hidden-from-our/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [Like the bee, we should make our industry our amusement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/like-the-bee-we-should-make-our-industry-our-amusement/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [Age, that lessens the enjoyment of life, increases our desire of living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/age-that-lessens-the-enjoyment-of-life-increases-our-desire-of-living/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [Thus let me hold thee to my heart, And every care resign: And we shall never, never part, My life-my all that's mine!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/thus-let-me-hold-thee-to-my-heart-and-every-care-resign-and-we-shall/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [Here lies David Garrick, describe me who can, An abridgment of all that was pleasant in man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/here-lies-david-garrick-describe-me-who-can-an-abridgment-of-all-that/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

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