---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As to London we must console ourselves…"
description: "\"As to London we must console ourselves with the thought that if life outside is less poetic than it was in the days of old, inwardly its poetry is much..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16b/goldwin-smith-17422_console_as-to-london-we-must-console-ourselves-w_13753.jpg"
---

#  As to London we must console ourselves with the thought…

![“As to London we must console ourselves with the thought that if life outside is less poetic than it was in the days of old, inwardly its poetry is much deeper.” quote by Goldwin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16b/goldwin-smith-17422_console_as-to-london-we-must-console-ourselves-w_13753.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16b/goldwin-smith-17422_console_as-to-london-we-must-console-ourselves-w_13753.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16b/goldwin-smith-17422_console_as-to-london-we-must-console-ourselves-w_13753.jpg)

> “As to London we must console ourselves with the thought that if life outside is less poetic than it was in the days of old, inwardly its poetry is much deeper.”

[Goldwin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldwin-smith/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote reflects that while external world may seem less inspiring, inner imagination and personal reflection hold richer poetic depth.

**In simple terms:** Inner imagination outweighs external inspiration.

Key Takeaway

Depth of inner poetry surpasses outward decline.

Themes

nostalgia inner life perception beauty resilience

Mood

reflective melancholic hopeful

Type

philosophical observational

When to use this quote

- feeling disillusioned by modern city life
- seeking meaning in routine
- contemplating personal growth

Key Concepts

subjective experience cultural change self-reflection

Practical Applications

- creative writing
- mindfulness practice

Questions to Reflect On

- How does inner creativity compensate for external monotony?
- What practices nurture deeper inner poetry?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Console](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/console/) [Deeper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeper/) [Inwardly Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inwardly-poetry-375372/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/london/) [Old Inwardly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-inwardly-375373/) [Outside Poetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outside-poetic-375370/) [Poetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetic/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poetry Deeper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-deeper-375371/) [Poetry is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-is/)

## Related quotes

> [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [Our faults afflict us more than our good deeds console. Pain is ever uppermost in the conscience as in the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-swetchine/our-faults-afflict-us-more-than-our-good-deeds-console-pain-is-ever/)

[Sophie Swetchine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-swetchine/)

> [The pleasures of the table belong to all times and ages, to every country and every day; they go hand in hand with all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-anthelme-brillat-savarin/the-pleasures-of-the-table-belong-to-all-times-and-ages-to-every/)

[Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-anthelme-brillat-savarin/)

> [We can't do anything to change the world until capitalism crumbles. In the meantime we should all go shopping to console ourselves,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/we-can-t-do-anything-to-change-the-world-until-capitalism-crumbles-in/)

[Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/)

> [Authentic spirituality is revolutionary. It does not legitimate the world, it breaks the world; it does not console the world, it shatters it. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/authentic-spirituality-is-revolutionary-it-does-not-legitimate-the/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [What consoles one nowadays is not repentance but pleasure. Repentance is quite out of date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/what-consoles-one-nowadays-is-not-repentance-but-pleasure-repentance/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [If thou suffer injustice, console thyself; the true unhappiness is in doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/democritus/if-thou-suffer-injustice-console-thyself-the-true-unhappiness-is-in/)

[Democritus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/democritus/)

> [We didn't have our online service developed. We had never shipped a console game before as a company. So we were developing a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-allard/we-didn-t-have-our-online-service-developed-we-had-never-shipped-a/)

[J Allard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-allard/)

> [There are those who think that Zeffirelli's Hamlet is the way to treat Shakespeare. I think that cinema can handle much more. We somehow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/there-are-those-who-think-that-zeffirelli-s-hamlet-is-the-way-to/)

[Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/)

> [If you are called upon to play a church service, it is a greater honor than if you were to play a concert on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/if-you-are-called-upon-to-play-a-church-service-it-is-a-greater-honor/)

[Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/)

> [I have no direct knowledge of this, but I suspect that Apple will launch a living room product that redefines people's expectations really strongly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/i-have-no-direct-knowledge-of-this-but-i-suspect-that-apple-will/)

[Gabe Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/)

> [“She is embarrassed to be alive and no one on earth can fully console her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-trevor/she-is-embarrassed-to-be-alive-and-no-one-on-earth-can-fully-console/)

[William Trevor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-trevor/)

> [Yes, and when the love of life disappears, no meaning can console us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/yes-and-when-the-love-of-life-disappears-no-meaning-can-console-us/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [Alcohol doesn't console, it doesn't fill up anyone's psychological gaps, all it replaces is the lack of God. It doesn't comfort man. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/alcohol-doesn-t-console-it-doesn-t-fill-up-anyone-s-psychological/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [The future of poetry is immense, because in poetry, where it is worthy of its high destinies, our race, as time goes on, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/the-future-of-poetry-is-immense-because-in-poetry-where-it-is-worthy/)

[Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/)

## More by Goldwin Smith

> [The novelist must look on humanity without partiality or prejudice. His sympathy, like that of the historian, must be unbounded, and untainted by sect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/the-novelist-must-look-on-humanity-without-partiality-or-prejudice/)

[Goldwin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldwin-smith/)

> [The Romans, we are told, were by nature a peculiarly warlike race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/the-romans-we-are-told-were-by-nature-a-peculiarly-warlike-race/)

[Goldwin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldwin-smith/)

> [Canada is said to have got its name from the two Spanish words aca and nada, signifying 'there is nothing here.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/canada-is-said-to-have-got-its-name-from-the-two-spanish-words-aca/)

[Goldwin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldwin-smith/)

> [It is needless to say how great has been the influence of the doctrine of Evolution, or rather perhaps of the method of investigation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/it-is-needless-to-say-how-great-has-been-the-influence-of-the/)

[Goldwin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldwin-smith/)

> [We must also be permitted to bear in mind that evolution, though it may explain everything else, cannot explain itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/we-must-also-be-permitted-to-bear-in-mind-that-evolution-though-it/)

[Goldwin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldwin-smith/)

> [Who can doubt that between the English and the French, between the Scotch and the Irish, there are differences of character which have profoundly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/who-can-doubt-that-between-the-english-and-the-french-between-the/)

[Goldwin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldwin-smith/)

> [Never had there been such an attempt to make conquest the servant of civilization. About keeping India there is no question. England has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/never-had-there-been-such-an-attempt-to-make-conquest-the-servant-of/)

[Goldwin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldwin-smith/)

> [Rich by nature, poor by policy' might be written over Canada's door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/rich-by-nature-poor-by-policy-might-be-written-over-canada-s-door/)

[Goldwin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldwin-smith/)

> [Above all nations is humanity,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/above-all-nations-is-humanity/)

[Goldwin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldwin-smith/)

> [Art is expression, and to have high expression you must have something high to express.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/art-is-expression-and-to-have-high-expression-you-must-have-something/)

[Goldwin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldwin-smith/)

> [In my youth,geology was nervously striving to accommodate itself to Genesis. Now it is Genesis that is striving to accommodate itself to geology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/in-my-youth-geology-was-nervously-striving-to-accommodate-itself-to/)

[Goldwin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldwin-smith/)

> [The natural barriers between England and Scotland were not sufficient to prevent the extension of the Saxon settlements and kingdoms across the border.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/the-natural-barriers-between-england-and-scotland-were-not-sufficient/)

[Goldwin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldwin-smith/)

> [Dante himself is open to the suspicion of partiality: it is said, not without apparent ground, that he puts into hell all the enemies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/dante-himself-is-open-to-the-suspicion-of-partiality-it-is-said-not/)

[Goldwin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldwin-smith/)

> [The father of confederation is deadlock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/the-father-of-confederation-is-deadlock/)

[Goldwin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldwin-smith/)

> [Rome was great in arms, in government, in law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/rome-was-great-in-arms-in-government-in-law/)

[Goldwin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldwin-smith/)

[Explore all 37 Goldwin Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldwin-smith/)

## More Console quotes

> [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [Alcohol doesn't console, it doesn't fill up anyone's psychological gaps, all it replaces is the lack of God. It doesn't comfort man. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/alcohol-doesn-t-console-it-doesn-t-fill-up-anyone-s-psychological/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [Yes, and when the love of life disappears, no meaning can console us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/yes-and-when-the-love-of-life-disappears-no-meaning-can-console-us/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [“She is embarrassed to be alive and no one on earth can fully console her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-trevor/she-is-embarrassed-to-be-alive-and-no-one-on-earth-can-fully-console/)

[William Trevor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-trevor/)

> [I have no direct knowledge of this, but I suspect that Apple will launch a living room product that redefines people's expectations really strongly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/i-have-no-direct-knowledge-of-this-but-i-suspect-that-apple-will/)

[Gabe Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/)

> [If you are called upon to play a church service, it is a greater honor than if you were to play a concert on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/if-you-are-called-upon-to-play-a-church-service-it-is-a-greater-honor/)

[Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/)

> [There are those who think that Zeffirelli's Hamlet is the way to treat Shakespeare. I think that cinema can handle much more. We somehow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/there-are-those-who-think-that-zeffirelli-s-hamlet-is-the-way-to/)

[Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/)

> [We didn't have our online service developed. We had never shipped a console game before as a company. So we were developing a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-allard/we-didn-t-have-our-online-service-developed-we-had-never-shipped-a/)

[J Allard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-allard/)

> [If thou suffer injustice, console thyself; the true unhappiness is in doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/democritus/if-thou-suffer-injustice-console-thyself-the-true-unhappiness-is-in/)

[Democritus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/democritus/)

> [What consoles one nowadays is not repentance but pleasure. Repentance is quite out of date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/what-consoles-one-nowadays-is-not-repentance-but-pleasure-repentance/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [Authentic spirituality is revolutionary. It does not legitimate the world, it breaks the world; it does not console the world, it shatters it. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/authentic-spirituality-is-revolutionary-it-does-not-legitimate-the/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [We can't do anything to change the world until capitalism crumbles. In the meantime we should all go shopping to console ourselves,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/we-can-t-do-anything-to-change-the-world-until-capitalism-crumbles-in/)

[Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/)

> [The pleasures of the table belong to all times and ages, to every country and every day; they go hand in hand with all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-anthelme-brillat-savarin/the-pleasures-of-the-table-belong-to-all-times-and-ages-to-every/)

[Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-anthelme-brillat-savarin/)

> [Our faults afflict us more than our good deeds console. Pain is ever uppermost in the conscience as in the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-swetchine/our-faults-afflict-us-more-than-our-good-deeds-console-pain-is-ever/)

[Sophie Swetchine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-swetchine/)

> [The future of poetry is immense, because in poetry, where it is worthy of its high destinies, our race, as time goes on, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/the-future-of-poetry-is-immense-because-in-poetry-where-it-is-worthy/)

[Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/)

[Browse all 200 Console quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/console/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "As to London we must console ourselves with the thought that if life outside is less poetic than it was in the days of old, inwardly its poetry is much deeper.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Goldwin Smith"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/as-to-london-we-must-console-ourselves-with-the-thought-that-if-life/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Console"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/as-to-london-we-must-console-ourselves-with-the-thought-that-if-life/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16b/goldwin-smith-17422_console_as-to-london-we-must-console-ourselves-w_13753.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16b/goldwin-smith-17422_console_as-to-london-we-must-console-ourselves-w_13753.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16b/goldwin-smith-17422_console_as-to-london-we-must-console-ourselves-w_13753.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“As to London we must console ourselves with the thought that if life outside is less poetic than it was in…” — Goldwin Smith",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Goldwin Smith",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldwin-smith/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "As to London we must console...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/as-to-london-we-must-console-ourselves-with-the-thought-that-if-life/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/as-to-london-we-must-console-ourselves-with-the-thought-that-if-life/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```